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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. spell — letters
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. can — a tin
  9. mug — a cup
  10. court — for sport
  11. capital — a city
  12. court — of law
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. mug — a face
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mug — to rob
  18. can — to be able to
  19. stand — to bear
  20. spell — magic
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. can — a tin
  23. capital — money
  24. spell — a short time

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