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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. court — of a king
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. drill — the tool
  8. court — of law
  9. rest — what's left
  10. capital — money
  11. court — for sport
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. toast — bread
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. hand — in cards
  18. drill — a practice
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. capital — a city
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. drill — army training
  23. rest — a break
  24. hand — help

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