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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mug — a cup
  4. fall — the season
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. fall — to drop
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. mug — to rob
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. capital — money
  16. mine — for digging
  17. capital — a city
  18. mug — a face
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fall — to drop

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