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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mine — for digging
  7. saw — the tool
  8. court — of a king
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. capital — money
  11. fine — high quality
  12. scale — size or range
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fine — all right
  15. court — of law
  16. capital — a city
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. scale — in music
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. court — for sport

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