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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: rush · court · jam · ball · key · nail · racket · capital

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rush — hurry
  3. court — of a king
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. capital — a city
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. ball — a great time
  10. key — in music
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. key — for a lock
  13. ball — a dance
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. capital — money
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. key — the most important part
  24. nail — for a hammer

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