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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. spring — of water
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. charge — a price
  6. swing — music
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. charge — in control
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. spring — a coil
  12. swing — in golf
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. capital — money
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. charge — electricity
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. capital — a city
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. capital — a big letter

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