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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: suit · capital · stick · leaves · race · fan · club · cold

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cold — not warm
  9. club — a group
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. club — for golf
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — clothes
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. capital — money
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. capital — a city
  23. cold — an illness
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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