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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. court — of a king
  4. cold — an illness
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fine — all right
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. court — of law
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pitch — completely
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. capital — a city
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. court — for sport
  24. temple — a place of worship

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