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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cap — a hat
  3. can — a tin
  4. capital — a city
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. court — for sport
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bulb — for light
  12. capital — money
  13. cap — of ice
  14. can — a tin
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. degree — from a university
  19. can — to be able to
  20. degree — temperature
  21. court — of a king
  22. cap — a lid
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bulb — for light

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