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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: cue · capital · degree · rash · swing · nail · mate · content

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. capital — a city
  3. content — the amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. capital — money
  6. degree — temperature
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. degree — an amount
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cue — a hint
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rash — a series
  18. swing — music
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. content — happy
  23. cue — a signal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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