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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. court — of a king
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cell — in biology
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pound — a weight
  7. court — of law
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ball — a great time
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pop — music
  14. cell — a phone
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. pop — soda
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bulb — for light
  20. court — for sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bulb — of a plant

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