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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. capital — money
  3. club — for golf
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bank — for money
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. land — to come down
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. land — ground
  13. bank — for money
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. club — a group
  17. bank — of a river
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. capital — a city
  20. tube — the underground
  21. land — a country
  22. club — for dancing
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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