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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bass · pit · straw · suit · cap · squash · nail

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cap — a lid
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bass — low music
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. capital — a city
  12. suit — clothes
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pit — in a race
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pit — a hole
  22. capital — money
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. capital — a big letter

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