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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 120 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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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: bowl · capital · ball · chair · rash · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rash — hasty
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. capital — a city
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. court — for sport
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rash — a series
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. capital — money
  17. court — of law
  18. bowl — to roll

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