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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 116 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. present — there
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. pass — a permit
  6. row — to paddle
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. club — for golf
  12. court — for sport
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — a group
  15. squash — to crush
  16. row — a line
  17. squash — the sport
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. present — a gift
  20. capital — money
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. present — the time now
  24. capital — a city

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