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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 120 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: race · squash · pop · capital · chest · suit · foot · mate

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. capital — money
  5. suit — to fit
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mate — a friend
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pop — to visit
  12. suit — in cards
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pop — music
  15. suit — clothes
  16. race — a contest
  17. capital — a city
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. chest — of your body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pop — soda
  23. foot — a measure
  24. chest — a box

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