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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. swing — in golf
  3. face — to point toward
  4. capital — money
  5. net — after costs
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. net — in sport
  11. spring — of water
  12. craft — boats
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. chair — a leader
  17. craft — a skill
  18. spring — a coil
  19. swing — music
  20. face — part of the head
  21. net — for catching
  22. face — to confront
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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