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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 124 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. swing — to play on
  4. chip — to eat
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. capital — a city
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. spring — of water
  12. swing — in golf
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. capital — money
  19. spring — a coil
  20. chip — for betting
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. spring — the season
  23. swing — music
  24. rush — hurry

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