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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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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: chest · deal · cue · arm · race · bank · capital · rest

  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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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 — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rest — what's left
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bank — for money
  6. chest — of your body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cue — a hint
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cue — for pool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cue — a signal
  13. chest — a box
  14. capital — a city
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bank — of a river
  17. race — the arms race
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bank — for money
  22. race — a contest
  23. deal — to handle
  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