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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: foot · rock · rash · court · capital · toast · wind · scale

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. court — of law
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. capital — money
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — bread
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rash — a series
  16. foot — a measure
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rock — a stone
  22. scale — in music
  23. rock — music
  24. rash — hasty

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