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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. present — there
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. object — to protest
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. object — an aim
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. shower — to wash
  10. present — the time now
  11. shower — rain
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. court — of a king
  15. object — a thing
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. present — a gift
  18. pop — music
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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