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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. last — finally
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — a thing
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mug — a cup
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. last — final
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. capital — a city
  13. court — of law
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. court — of a king
  17. object — an aim
  18. mug — a face
  19. capital — money
  20. mate — a partner
  21. last — to go on
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mate — to breed

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