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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pit — a hole
  11. court — of law
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bound — tied together
  14. chair — a leader
  15. saw — the tool
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bound — obliged
  20. foot — a measure
  21. court — of a king
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. court — for sport
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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