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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 120 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 don't need to ________________ round.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. chip — for betting
  5. capital — money
  6. can — a tin
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. swing — to play on
  9. club — a group
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. swing — in golf
  12. can — a tin
  13. snap — to click
  14. chip — to eat
  15. pop — soda
  16. capital — a city
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. swing — music
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — for golf
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pop — music
  24. can — to be able to

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