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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. capital — money
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mate — a partner
  5. capital — a city
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. swing — to play on
  14. drill — army training
  15. mate — to breed
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mate — a friend
  21. swing — music
  22. cap — a lid
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wax — to grow

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