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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: capital · club · bank · straw · kid · race · suit · foot

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. club — for golf
  5. kid — to tease
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. club — for dancing
  10. race — the arms race
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bank — for money
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bank — for money
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. capital — money
  17. race — humankind
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — in cards
  20. race — a contest
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. kid — child
  23. foot — a measure
  24. club — a group

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