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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. tube — a container
  3. swing — to play on
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. capital — a city
  6. swing — music
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. capital — money
  10. swing — in golf
  11. court — of law
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lean — to bend
  14. object — to protest
  15. date — the fruit
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. court — for sport
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. court — of a king
  22. lean — thin
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. object — a thing

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