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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. tube — a container
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wind — moving air
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. swing — music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. roll — a cake
  17. capital — a city
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wind — moving air
  23. swing — to play on
  24. vault — a safe

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