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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. swing — music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. key — for a lock
  8. suit — clothes
  9. key — the most important part
  10. suit — in cards
  11. capital — a city
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. capital — money
  17. court — of a king
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. key — in music
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. suit — to fit
  23. swing — to play on
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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