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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pop — to visit
  3. court — of law
  4. pop — music
  5. mug — a face
  6. capital — a city
  7. fine — all right
  8. court — for sport
  9. board — to get on
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. mug — a cup
  12. board — a committee
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pop — soda
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. court — of a king
  20. track — to keep track
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. track — a path
  23. capital — money
  24. track — a song

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