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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
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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: ruler · court · capital · suit · arm · fork · bound · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pop — to visit
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. suit — to fit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pop — music
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. suit — in cards
  18. fork — in a road
  19. court — of law
  20. bound — tied together
  21. suit — clothes
  22. capital — money
  23. bound — certain
  24. capital — a city

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