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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: capital · rest · firm · court · arm · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. court — of a king
  3. rest — a break
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. court — for sport
  9. rest — what's left
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rest — what's left
  12. court — of law
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — a company
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. firm — decided
  18. arm — part of the body

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