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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. current — of water
  5. capital — a city
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. current — happening now
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lie — to recline
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. drill — army training
  20. court — of law
  21. current — electric
  22. court — for sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. capital — money

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