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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. capital — money
  3. bound — certain
  4. capital — a city
  5. cue — a hint
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. prune — to trim
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rush — hurry
  15. fine — all right
  16. cue — for pool
  17. court — for sport
  18. toast — bread
  19. bound — obliged
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. court — of a king
  24. cue — a signal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com