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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. scale — in music
  3. court — of law
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. scale — size or range
  6. shower — rain
  7. roll — a cake
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. shower — to wash
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pop — soda
  13. court — of a king
  14. pop — music
  15. capital — money
  16. court — for sport
  17. roll — a list
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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