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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. hand — in cards
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. capital — money
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. capital — a city
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. hand — help
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. court — for sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. date — the fruit

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