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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bore — to drill
  3. land — ground
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. land — to come down
  6. rush — hurry
  7. club — for golf
  8. capital — money
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. club — for dancing
  11. capital — a city
  12. snap — to click
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. court — for sport
  15. scale — in music
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. club — a group
  18. court — of law
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. land — a country
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. scale — size or range
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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