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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. swing — music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. track — a song
  8. capital — money
  9. swing — to play on
  10. key — for a lock
  11. charge — a price
  12. track — a path
  13. key — the most important part
  14. clip — a video
  15. key — in music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. track — to keep track
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. swing — in golf
  24. fan — a supporter

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