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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 120 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pop — to visit
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. kid — child
  9. court — for sport
  10. capital — money
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pop — music
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. land — to come down
  15. pop — soda
  16. land — a country
  17. capital — a city
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. court — of law
  22. land — ground
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. kid — to tease

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