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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chip — for betting
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rush — hurry
  5. capital — a city
  6. tube — a container
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. club — for dancing
  9. capital — money
  10. court — of law
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. court — of a king
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pass — a permit
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. court — for sport
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. club — a group
  21. chip — to eat
  22. club — for golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — 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