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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 116 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: cap · field · rush · swing · chip · bound · craft · capital

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. capital — a city
  3. field — for sport
  4. craft — a skill
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. capital — money
  7. field — a subject
  8. chip — for betting
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. craft — boats
  14. chip — to eat
  15. swing — music
  16. field — farmland
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. cap — a lid
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. swing — to play on

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