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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. court — of a king
  3. club — a group
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. court — of law
  6. bulb — for light
  7. court — for sport
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. capital — a city
  12. stock — shares
  13. object — a thing
  14. bulb — for light
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. capital — money
  18. stock — goods
  19. object — to protest
  20. toast — bread
  21. object — an aim
  22. club — for dancing
  23. swing — in golf
  24. club — for golf

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