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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. court — for sport
  5. capital — money
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a city
  9. degree — from a university
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. press — to push
  15. firm — decided
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. press — newspapers
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. firm — steady
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. firm — a company
  23. court — of law
  24. craft — a skill

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