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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · club · ball · safe · swing · calf · court · stock

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. capital — a city
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stock — shares
  5. capital — money
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. court — of law
  9. club — for dancing
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. ball — a dance
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. swing — in golf
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. court — of a king
  16. club — for golf
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. swing — music
  20. club — a group
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stock — goods
  24. court — for sport

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