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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: sharp · court · mouse · net · capital · staff · foot · race

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. capital — a city
  4. staff — employees
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. net — for catching
  9. staff — a stick
  10. sharp — clever
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. race — humankind
  19. court — for sport
  20. staff — employees
  21. foot — a measure
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. net — in sport
  24. capital — money

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