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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. charge — in control
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. court — of law
  5. row — a line
  6. suit — clothes
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. court — for sport
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. game — wild animals
  12. capital — a city
  13. suit — to fit
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. deal — to handle
  16. track — to keep track
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. game — a match
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. capital — money
  21. suit — in cards
  22. row — to paddle
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — electricity

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