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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. court — for sport
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mark — a grade
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. suit — in cards
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a trace
  11. pop — soda
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. capital — money
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. court — of law
  19. capital — a city
  20. suit — clothes
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. race — humankind
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. court — of a king

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