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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: swing · dip · capital · cue · race · fine

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. race — the arms race
  3. fine — all right
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. race — humankind
  7. swing — music
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. capital — a city
  10. race — a contest
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. dip — to sink
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. swing — to play on
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cue — a signal
  18. swing — in golf

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