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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rash — hasty
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. swing — to play on
  12. capital — money
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. swing — music
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. toast — bread
  19. rash — a series
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. capital — a city
  23. game — a match
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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