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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · sharp · bear · ball · land · court · capital · toast

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — bread
  7. capital — money
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. ball — a dance
  11. chair — a leader
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. land — ground
  15. ball — a great time
  16. court — for sport
  17. sharp — clever
  18. capital — a city
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bear — the animal
  24. land — to come down

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