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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. court — of law
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. chair — a leader
  5. land — a country
  6. rest — a break
  7. land — to come down
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bore — to tire
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. court — for sport
  14. lean — to bend
  15. capital — money
  16. lean — thin
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. firm — steady
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — a company
  22. land — ground
  23. rest — what's left
  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