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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · capital · roll · court · spell · suit · racket · hand

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. spell — magic
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. suit — to fit
  7. court — of law
  8. hand — help
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. spell — a short time
  11. suit — in cards
  12. hand — in cards
  13. roll — a cake
  14. band — a ring
  15. suit — clothes
  16. capital — a city
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. roll — a list
  20. band — a music group
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. spell — letters
  24. racket — a loud noise

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