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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. swing — to play on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. swing — music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. board — to get on
  13. content — the amount
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. key — for a lock
  17. content — happy
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pit — a hole
  20. swing — in golf
  21. board — a committee
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. key — in music
  24. pit — in a race

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