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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cell — in biology
  4. capital — money
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. clip — to cut
  8. swing — in golf
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fine — all right
  13. rule — government
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fine — high quality
  17. clip — a video
  18. capital — a city
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. row — a line
  21. rule — a law
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bear — the animal

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