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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pass — a permit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. suit — clothes
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wake — a trail
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. deal — to handle
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. suit — to fit
  14. staff — employees
  15. court — of a king
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. suit — in cards
  19. court — for sport
  20. staff — employees
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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