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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.

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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: capital · suit · rush · tube · content · march · fall · bear

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. suit — to fit
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. content — happy
  7. capital — a city
  8. content — the amount
  9. bear — the animal
  10. suit — in cards
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rush — hurry
  14. march — the month
  15. fall — to drop
  16. march — music
  17. suit — clothes
  18. march — the month
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fall — to drop
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. fall — the season
  24. capital — money

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