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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. capital — money
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. swing — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — music
  8. ground — a position
  9. swing — to play on
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. swing — in golf
  18. lean — thin
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pop — to visit
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. key — in music

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