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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pitch — completely
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. press — newspapers
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cue — a hint
  14. capital — money
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. court — of a king
  17. press — to push
  18. court — of law
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wax — to grow
  22. court — for sport
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cue — for pool

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