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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: root · arm · kid · squash · row · toast · capital · swing

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. row — to paddle
  3. swing — to play on
  4. root — of a word
  5. kid — to tease
  6. root — the cause
  7. squash — the sport
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. capital — a city
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. toast — bread
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. row — a line
  22. root — of a plant
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. squash — to crush

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