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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: capital · craft · kid · deal · swing · root

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. capital — money
  5. root — the cause
  6. craft — boats
  7. root — of a plant
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. kid — child
  10. root — of a word
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. capital — a city
  14. craft — a skill
  15. deal — to handle
  16. kid — to tease
  17. swing — music
  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