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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. swing — music
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. roll — a list
  7. swing — to play on
  8. cold — not warm
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. swing — in golf
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. toast — bread
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bark — to shout
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. capital — money

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