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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bound — certain
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. court — of law
  11. tear — from crying
  12. capital — money
  13. bound — obliged
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. court — for sport
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bound — tied together
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — an amount
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. tear — to rip
  24. court — of a king

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