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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. kick — in football
  3. capital — a city
  4. court — of a king
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. charge — in control
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. squash — to crush
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. charge — electricity
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. mine — for digging
  23. charge — a price
  24. calf — a young animal

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