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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. court — of a king
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mine — for digging
  7. object — a thing
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. object — to protest
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. object — an aim
  12. pound — a weight
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. tube — a container
  16. court — of law
  17. rest — a break
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. capital — money
  23. court — for sport
  24. rest — what's left

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