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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: court · club · stand · pass · race · capital

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. race — humankind
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pass — a permit
  7. court — of law
  8. club — for golf
  9. court — of a king
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. court — for sport
  13. capital — money
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. race — the arms race
  16. club — a group
  17. race — a contest
  18. capital — a city

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