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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. swing — in golf
  4. drill — the tool
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rock — a stone
  7. swing — to play on
  8. cue — a signal
  9. capital — a city
  10. drill — a practice
  11. tube — a container
  12. cue — a hint
  13. ball — a dance
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cue — for pool
  16. capital — money
  17. drill — army training
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. lie — to recline
  20. ball — a great time
  21. swing — music
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rock — to move gently

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