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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 120 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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. charge — in control
  4. court — of law
  5. shower — to wash
  6. track — to keep track
  7. cap — a hat
  8. court — of a king
  9. cap — a lid
  10. foot — a measure
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. shower — rain
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. capital — a city
  15. game — a match
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. charge — a price
  18. track — a path
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cap — of ice
  21. charge — electricity
  22. track — a song
  23. capital — money
  24. court — for sport

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