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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mate — a friend
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. branch — a division
  5. court — of a king
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. capital — a city
  8. ball — a dance
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. court — for sport
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mate — a partner
  15. toast — bread
  16. court — of law
  17. ball — a great time
  18. board — a committee
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mate — to breed
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. branch — of a bank

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