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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. squash — the sport
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. squash — to crush
  7. scale — in music
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. tube — the underground
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. tube — a container
  21. mark — a grade
  22. swing — in golf
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. swing — music

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