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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. court — of law
  3. toast — bread
  4. dip — to sink
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. land — ground
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. court — of a king
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wind — moving air
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stand — to bear
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. court — for sport
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. capital — money

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