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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pop — to visit
  3. chair — a leader
  4. swing — to play on
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — a city
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pop — soda
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bank — for money
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. game — wild animals
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. swing — music
  19. bank — of a river
  20. pop — music
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. capital — money
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bank — for money

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