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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 116 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: capital · court · staff · rock · suit · net

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. rock — music
  3. court — of a king
  4. suit — in cards
  5. staff — employees
  6. court — of law
  7. staff — a stick
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. capital — a city
  10. net — after costs
  11. capital — money
  12. rock — a stone
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. staff — employees
  15. court — for sport
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. suit — clothes

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