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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 116 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. swing — in golf
  5. fine — high quality
  6. swing — to play on
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rule — a law
  11. deal — to handle
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. spell — magic
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. kid — child
  19. fine — all right
  20. fork — in a road
  21. rule — government
  22. spell — letters
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. capital — a city

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