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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: rush · staff · rock · toast · capital · bear · sharp · court

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. staff — a stick
  3. toast — bread
  4. bear — the animal
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. court — of a king
  7. staff — employees
  8. rush — hurry
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. capital — money
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. staff — employees
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. court — for sport
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. sharp — clever
  24. court — of law

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