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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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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: racket · court · drill · club · capital · chair · nail · wax

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. drill — army training
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. court — of law
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wax — to grow
  13. club — for golf
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. club — for dancing
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. court — of a king
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. capital — a city
  20. club — a group
  21. chair — a leader
  22. drill — a practice
  23. capital — money
  24. wax — for sculpting

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