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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. file — a document
  2. swing — to play on
  3. club — for dancing
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. file — a tool
  7. chest — a box
  8. lie — to recline
  9. capital — money
  10. chest — of your body
  11. club — a group
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. capital — a city
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chest — of your body
  23. club — for golf
  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