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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. court — of a king
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. board — a committee
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. capital — a city
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. club — for golf
  12. season — of the year
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. club — a group
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. saw — the tool
  21. board — to get on
  22. capital — money
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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