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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. capital — a city
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. root — the cause
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. swing — to play on
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. net — for catching
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. net — after costs
  17. root — of a plant
  18. hand — in cards
  19. net — in sport
  20. stand — to bear
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. root — of a word
  24. capital — money

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