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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. court — of a king
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. court — for sport
  6. face — to confront
  7. capital — a city
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. court — of law
  13. cap — a lid
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cap — of ice
  16. ball — a great time
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ball — a dance
  19. capital — money
  20. rule — a law
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. face — to point toward

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