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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. kid — to tease
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. game — a match
  6. track — to keep track
  7. game — wild animals
  8. swing — to play on
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. swing — in golf
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. capital — a city
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. capital — money
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. track — a song
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. saw — the tool
  23. track — a path
  24. kid — child

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