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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. suit — to fit
  3. last — to go on
  4. capital — money
  5. suit — clothes
  6. suit — in cards
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. court — for sport
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. last — final
  16. toast — bread
  17. ball — a great time
  18. capital — a city
  19. ball — a dance
  20. court — of law
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. court — of a king
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. last — finally

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