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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. snap — to click
  3. degree — an amount
  4. court — of law
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bulb — for light
  7. court — for sport
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. suit — to fit
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. suit — clothes
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bulb — for light
  14. key — for a lock
  15. degree — temperature
  16. capital — money
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. court — of a king
  19. capital — a city
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. degree — from a university
  22. key — the most important part
  23. chip — for betting
  24. key — in music

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