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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: land · capital · snap · court · rash · suit · firm · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. land — to come down
  4. suit — to fit
  5. court — of law
  6. content — happy
  7. court — of a king
  8. capital — a city
  9. land — ground
  10. rash — hasty
  11. snap — to click
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rash — a series
  14. suit — clothes
  15. land — a country
  16. suit — in cards
  17. court — for sport
  18. capital — money
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. firm — a company
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — steady

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