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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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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: row · rash · court · cap · club · sharp · suit · rush

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. court — of a king
  3. suit — to fit
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. club — for golf
  8. suit — clothes
  9. cap — of ice
  10. suit — in cards
  11. club — for dancing
  12. sharp — clever
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rush — hurry
  15. court — of law
  16. row — a line
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. club — a group
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. court — for sport
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cap — a lid

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