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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 124 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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. band — a ring
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. toast — bread
  13. bulb — for light
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bulb — for light
  20. band — a music group
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. leaves — of a tree

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