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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 black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. land — ground
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. land — a country
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. court — for sport
  10. bear — the animal
  11. court — of law
  12. land — to come down
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. capital — money
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. capital — a city
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. court — of a king
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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