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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 · foot · rule · bay · kid · court

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. court — of a king
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. court — for sport
  6. foot — a measure
  7. court — of law
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. capital — money
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rule — government
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. capital — a city
  14. kid — child
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. kid — to tease

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