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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: stem · club · suit · jam · swing · capital · rule · content

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rule — a law
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. club — a group
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. capital — money
  7. swing — music
  8. stem — to come from
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. club — for golf
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. content — the amount
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. swing — in golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. rule — government
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. swing — to play on
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. suit — clothes

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