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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 120 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
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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: staff · court · rush · bowl · rash · capital · dip · ground

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. ground — crushed
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. court — of a king
  6. staff — employees
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. capital — money
  10. staff — employees
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rash — a series
  13. staff — a stick
  14. ground — a position
  15. capital — a city
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ground — the earth
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bowl — a football final
  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