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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. court — of a king
  5. capital — a city
  6. track — a song
  7. court — of law
  8. track — to keep track
  9. capital — money
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. toast — bread
  13. court — for sport
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bass — low music
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pit — in a race
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. track — a path
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. coach — a trainer

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