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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. court — of law
  3. spring — the season
  4. capital — a city
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bass — low music
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bore — to tire
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — in control
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pitch — completely
  15. staff — employees
  16. capital — money
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spring — of water
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. court — of a king
  22. staff — employees
  23. court — for sport
  24. bass — the fish

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