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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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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: band · capital · suit · mouse · chip · race · swing · foot

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. band — a music group
  3. race — a contest
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. capital — a city
  6. suit — to fit
  7. chip — for betting
  8. foot — a measure
  9. chip — to eat
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. band — a ring
  12. swing — in golf
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. swing — music
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. race — the arms race
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. capital — money
  21. suit — in cards
  22. swing — to play on
  23. suit — clothes
  24. race — humankind

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