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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pass — a permit
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bound — tied together
  8. swing — in golf
  9. capital — money
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bound — certain
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pit — in a race
  15. swing — music
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pit — a hole
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. deal — to handle
  24. prune — to trim

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