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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: suit · capital · arm · swing · rush · rash · deal · bark

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. capital — money
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — clothes
  5. rash — a series
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. suit — to fit
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. swing — to play on
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bark — to shout
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — a city
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rash — hasty
  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