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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mate — a friend
  3. capital — a city
  4. court — of law
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mark — a grade
  7. hand — help
  8. court — of a king
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. court — for sport
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rush — hurry
  20. hand — in cards
  21. scale — in music
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. capital — money
  24. mate — a partner

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