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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. swing — music
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. suit — in cards
  5. degree — an amount
  6. capital — a city
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. swing — in golf
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rush — hurry
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. suit — to fit
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. swing — to play on
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. board — a committee
  21. chair — a leader
  22. board — to get on
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. degree — temperature

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