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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. date — the fruit
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. court — of law
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. land — a country
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. court — of a king
  10. staff — employees
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. staff — employees
  13. band — a music group
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. court — for sport
  16. staff — a stick
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mug — a cup
  19. band — a ring
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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