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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: squash · capital · rash · rest · branch · hand · pitch · suit

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. hand — help
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. capital — a city
  6. suit — in cards
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. rash — a series
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. squash — the sport
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. capital — money
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. suit — clothes
  24. rash — on the skin

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