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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. spell — a short time
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. game — wild animals
  5. swing — to play on
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. capital — money
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. spell — magic
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. spell — letters
  14. mine — for digging
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pop — to visit
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pop — music
  19. game — a match
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pop — soda
  22. capital — a city
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. temple — a place of worship

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