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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. swing — in golf
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bound — obliged
  7. spring — a coil
  8. capital — money
  9. swing — music
  10. spring — of water
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. shower — rain
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. capital — a city
  15. spring — the season
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. deal — to handle
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bound — certain
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mine — for digging
  24. capital — a big letter

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