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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wind — moving air
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. snap — to click
  6. scale — size or range
  7. can — a tin
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. court — of law
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. capital — a city
  16. can — a tin
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. scale — in music
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wind — moving air
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wind — to turn a key

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