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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. capital — a city
  4. race — a contest
  5. swing — music
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. capital — money
  9. track — a path
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. hand — in cards
  15. track — a song
  16. scale — size or range
  17. race — the arms race
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. race — humankind
  22. hand — help
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. track — to keep track

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