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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. race — a contest
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. charge — electricity
  6. swing — in golf
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fine — all right
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. swing — to play on
  12. charge — a price
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. swing — music
  15. capital — a city
  16. race — the arms race
  17. charge — in control
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. spell — magic
  20. plane — a tool
  21. spell — letters
  22. capital — money
  23. bat — the animal
  24. race — humankind

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