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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 120 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: bore · firm · club · capital · suit · foot · stock · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. suit — clothes
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. court — for sport
  8. suit — in cards
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. firm — a company
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bore — to tire
  13. stock — shares
  14. club — for golf
  15. firm — steady
  16. club — a group
  17. firm — decided
  18. court — of a king
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bore — to drill
  21. foot — a measure
  22. stock — goods
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. suit — to fit

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