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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. object — a thing
  5. court — for sport
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bound — obliged
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. court — of law
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. object — an aim
  13. court — of a king
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. object — to protest
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bound — tied together
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bound — certain
  23. coach — a trainer
  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