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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. swing — in golf
  3. race — a contest
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. root — of a plant
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. swing — to play on
  8. capital — a city
  9. wind — moving air
  10. current — electric
  11. root — the cause
  12. current — of water
  13. tube — the underground
  14. current — happening now
  15. root — of a word
  16. race — humankind
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. wind — moving air
  19. capital — money
  20. tube — a container
  21. vault — a safe
  22. race — the arms race
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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