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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: race · cue · fine · capital · bore · board · temple · court

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cue — a hint
  4. race — humankind
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. court — of a king
  7. cue — a signal
  8. capital — money
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. fine — all right
  13. cue — for pool
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bore — to tire
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. race — the arms race
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. bore — to drill
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. race — a contest
  24. bore — gave birth

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