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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. content — the amount
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. toast — bread
  7. kick — in football
  8. capital — money
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. squash — to crush
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. court — of law
  16. content — happy
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. capital — a city
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. leaves — lets stay

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