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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. field — a subject
  3. last — final
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. field — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. pop — music
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. last — to go on
  15. kid — child
  16. pop — soda
  17. capital — a city
  18. last — finally
  19. court — of a king
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. court — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. sharp — exactly

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