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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. track — a path
  3. court — of a king
  4. chip — for betting
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — to keep track
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. perch — the fish
  11. capital — money
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. court — of law
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. current — electric
  21. chip — to eat
  22. track — a song
  23. perch — for a bird
  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