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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: arm · bank · race · bass · capital · squash · hide · pitcher

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. capital — money
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bank — of a river
  11. squash — to crush
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. race — a contest
  14. bass — low music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bank — for money
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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