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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 · jam · race · staff · racket · court · club · perch

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. club — a group
  3. capital — a city
  4. race — humankind
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. court — of a king
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. court — for sport
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. club — for dancing
  11. staff — a stick
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. race — a contest
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. staff — employees
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. staff — employees
  20. race — the arms race
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. club — for golf
  24. perch — the fish

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