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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. court — of a king
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. court — of law
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — to handle
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. shower — to wash
  15. capital — money
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. shower — rain
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. court — for sport
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. coach — a trainer

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