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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. capital — a city
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. capital — money
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. scale — in music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. saw — the tool
  24. scale — for weighing

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