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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a committee
  4. prune — to trim
  5. present — the time now
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — a song
  9. capital — a city
  10. track — a path
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. present — there
  14. track — to keep track
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. swing — in golf
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. present — a gift
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. staff — a stick
  23. capital — money
  24. swing — to play on

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