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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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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: capital · pound · cue · race · branch · rush · court · snap

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pound — a weight
  3. race — the arms race
  4. court — for sport
  5. race — humankind
  6. court — of a king
  7. race — a contest
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. court — of law
  10. branch — a division
  11. capital — money
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. snap — to click
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cue — a signal
  24. capital — a big letter

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