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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. court — of a king
  3. capital — a city
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bark — to shout
  6. court — for sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pop — music
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pop — soda
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. lean — thin
  24. court — of law

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