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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. court — of a king
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. capital — money
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ball — a dance
  16. chip — for betting
  17. ball — a great time
  18. track — a path
  19. board — to get on
  20. chip — to eat
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. capital — a city
  24. safe — a strongbox

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