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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bass — low music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — to play on
  5. board — to get on
  6. swing — music
  7. current — of water
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. capital — money
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rash — hasty
  12. board — a committee
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rash — a series
  18. current — happening now
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bass — the fish
  22. current — electric
  23. ball — a dance
  24. capital — a big letter

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