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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. capital — money
  3. can — a tin
  4. season — of the year
  5. capital — a city
  6. swing — to play on
  7. firm — steady
  8. spell — letters
  9. rest — what's left
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. can — to be able to
  15. season — in sport
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. firm — decided
  18. rest — a break
  19. firm — a company
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. swing — music
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. can — a tin
  24. swing — in golf

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