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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stand — to bear
  4. court — of a king
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. season — of the year
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pound — a weight
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. court — for sport
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — of law
  20. content — the amount
  21. season — in sport
  22. capital — a city
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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