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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 · swing · foot · fall · cue · band · lash · game

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cue — for pool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — wild animals
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. band — a ring
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cue — a hint
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fall — the season
  13. game — a match
  14. capital — money
  15. swing — in golf
  16. band — a music group
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. capital — a city
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cue — a signal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. fall — to drop
  24. band — a rubber band

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