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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. drill — army training
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. court — of law
  8. capital — a city
  9. swing — in golf
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. swing — music
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. drill — a practice
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cap — of ice
  19. capital — money
  20. court — of a king
  21. cap — a lid
  22. court — for sport
  23. swing — to play on
  24. cap — a hat

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