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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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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: mug · rash · ground · race · suit · capital · band · content

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. suit — in cards
  3. mug — a face
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. content — happy
  7. capital — money
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. mug — a cup
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. content — the amount
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mug — to rob
  17. suit — to fit
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. band — a ring
  20. rash — a series
  21. ground — crushed
  22. band — a music group
  23. suit — clothes
  24. rash — hasty

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