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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. court — of law
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. court — for sport
  6. capital — a city
  7. pop — soda
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. wake — a trail
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. capital — money
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kid — child
  18. pop — music
  19. court — of a king
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. lie — to recline

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