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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. court — of a king
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. court — for sport
  5. mate — to breed
  6. land — ground
  7. can — a tin
  8. mate — a friend
  9. object — a thing
  10. court — of law
  11. capital — a city
  12. field — a subject
  13. object — an aim
  14. current — of water
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. mate — a partner
  18. capital — money
  19. land — a country
  20. can — to be able to
  21. object — to protest
  22. current — happening now
  23. can — a tin
  24. current — electric

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