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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rash — a series
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ball — a great time
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. capital — money
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rush — hurry
  20. capital — a city
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. scale — in music

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