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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: can · rule · arm · pass · toast · swing · capital · kid

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. rule — a law
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. swing — to play on
  10. toast — bread
  11. rule — government
  12. swing — in golf
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. capital — money
  17. kid — child
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. kid — to tease
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. swing — music
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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