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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. capital — a city
  3. swing — in golf
  4. suit — to fit
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. suit — in cards
  10. pound — a weight
  11. content — happy
  12. pass — a permit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. swing — music
  22. content — the amount
  23. swing — to play on
  24. capital — money

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