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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: cap · craft · snap · club · race · capital · swing · cue

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. swing — to play on
  3. club — a group
  4. race — the arms race
  5. swing — music
  6. cue — a hint
  7. race — humankind
  8. cue — for pool
  9. swing — in golf
  10. race — a contest
  11. cap — a hat
  12. craft — boats
  13. cap — a lid
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. capital — a city
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. club — for golf
  20. snap — to click
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cap — of ice

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