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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. court — of a king
  4. capital — a city
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — decided
  7. court — for sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. dip — to sink
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. deal — to handle
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. court — of law
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. key — in music
  18. capital — money
  19. key — the most important part
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bowl — a dish

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