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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: chest · foot · swing · ruler · squash · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. 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. chest — of your body
  3. swing — music
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. chest — a box
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. swing — in golf
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. capital — money
  15. chest — of your body
  16. swing — to play on
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. 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