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

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. swing — in golf
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. press — a publisher
  12. swing — to play on
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. press — to push
  17. stock — shares
  18. scale — in music
  19. stock — goods
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. press — newspapers
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. scale — size or range
  24. lash — to lash out

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