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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. swing — to play on
  7. capital — a city
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fine — high quality
  13. swing — music
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. swing — in golf
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. pitch — completely
  19. fine — all right
  20. capital — money
  21. rock — music
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to click
  24. rock — a stone

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