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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. court — for sport
  6. rule — a law
  7. rash — hasty
  8. court — of a king
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rule — government
  12. rash — a series
  13. mark — a trace
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bound — certain
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. capital — a city
  19. mark — a grade
  20. court — of law
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. degree — temperature

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