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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rock — music
  3. suit — to fit
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. court — of law
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. land — a country
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. land — to come down
  15. court — for sport
  16. land — ground
  17. rock — a stone
  18. suit — clothes
  19. snap — to click
  20. suit — in cards
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. capital — money
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. nail — on a finger

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