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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. club — for golf
  4. rock — music
  5. capital — a city
  6. club — a group
  7. present — the time now
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. capital — money
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. scale — in music
  14. present — there
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. present — a gift
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rock — a stone
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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