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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: kick · suit · date · capital · chest · club

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. capital — a city
  3. suit — clothes
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. club — for golf
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. kick — in football
  9. capital — money
  10. suit — in cards
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. club — for dancing
  13. suit — to fit
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. club — a group
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. date — the fruit

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