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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. ball — a great time
  4. court — of law
  5. chair — a leader
  6. court — of a king
  7. ball — a dance
  8. can — a tin
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. roll — a cake
  11. can — a tin
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. capital — a city
  14. court — for sport
  15. can — to be able to
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. roll — a list

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