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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. capital — a city
  7. fine — high quality
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mark — a grade
  12. swing — music
  13. fine — all right
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rock — music
  16. mark — a trace
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rock — a stone
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. capital — money
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mark — to pay attention

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