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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · capital · race · pop · band · foot · swing · suit

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. 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. band — a rubber band
  2. pop — music
  3. band — a music group
  4. suit — to fit
  5. spell — letters
  6. swing — to play on
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. spell — magic
  9. band — a ring
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pop — to visit
  12. spell — a short time
  13. capital — money
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. swing — music
  18. race — a contest
  19. suit — in cards
  20. pop — soda
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. suit — clothes
  24. 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