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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. snap — to click
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. court — of law
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. court — for sport
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. club — for golf
  12. stock — shares
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. club — a group
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. club — for dancing
  18. capital — money
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. kick — with a leg

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