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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: content · rock · squash · stand · fall · capital · swing · can

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. squash — to crush
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. can — to be able to
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. swing — in golf
  11. content — happy
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rock — music
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. can — a tin
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rock — a stone
  18. fall — the season
  19. capital — a city
  20. fall — to drop
  21. can — a tin
  22. swing — music
  23. content — the amount
  24. stand — to bear

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