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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bank — of a river
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bank — for money
  9. pitch — completely
  10. court — for sport
  11. capital — a city
  12. cue — a hint
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. charge — a price
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. court — of law
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. charge — in control
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cue — a signal
  23. capital — money
  24. sharp — with an edge

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