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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: swing · suit · cabinet · leaves · wave · bat · march · capital

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. suit — clothes
  3. swing — in golf
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bat — the animal
  8. march — music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. swing — music
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. swing — to play on
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cabinet — ministers

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