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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — an aim
  6. capital — money
  7. pop — music
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pop — soda
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pop — to visit
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rush — hurry
  19. capital — a city
  20. object — a thing
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rest — a break
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. court — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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