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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. swing — music
  4. perch — the fish
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bulb — for light
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. club — for golf
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. swing — to play on
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. club — for dancing
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. swing — in golf
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bulb — for light

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