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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. track — a path
  5. wound — an injury
  6. capital — a city
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wake — a trail
  9. capital — money
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spring — the season
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. track — to keep track
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. swing — music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. track — a song
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. spring — of water

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