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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. present — the time now
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. capital — a city
  5. charge — electricity
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. charge — in control
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chest — of your body
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. court — of law
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. capital — money
  16. chest — a box
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. charge — a price
  21. court — for sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ruler — a monarch

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