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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. craft — a skill
  5. capital — money
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. craft — boats
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. rash — hasty
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rash — a series
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. court — of law
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. court — for sport
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pass — a permit
  23. capital — a city
  24. perch — for a bird

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