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

Word bank: race · key · court · capital · fork · pit

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pit — a hole
  3. capital — money
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. race — a contest
  6. pit — in a race
  7. race — humankind
  8. capital — a city
  9. court — of a king
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. fork — in a road
  12. court — for sport
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. key — in music
  15. court — of law
  16. race — the arms race
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock

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