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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. fall — to drop
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. court — of law
  5. capital — money
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. track — a song
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fall — the season
  12. chip — to eat
  13. court — for sport
  14. track — to keep track
  15. swing — in golf
  16. court — of a king
  17. track — a path
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. fall — to drop
  22. capital — a city
  23. chip — for betting
  24. swing — music

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