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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. mug — a face
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mug — to rob
  11. degree — an amount
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. file — a tool
  15. rock — music
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. court — of a king
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pass — a permit
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mug — a cup

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