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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. court — for sport
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. capital — a city
  7. pitch — completely
  8. staff — a stick
  9. club — a group
  10. perch — the fish
  11. capital — money
  12. court — of a king
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. court — of law
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. staff — employees
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. staff — employees
  24. wave — with your hand

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