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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 116 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. ball — a great time
  3. capital — a city
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. court — for sport
  6. mark — a trace
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. cell — a phone
  11. court — of a king
  12. suit — clothes
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. court — of law
  17. suit — in cards
  18. capital — money
  19. cell — in biology
  20. suit — to fit
  21. kick — in football
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. ball — a dance

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