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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. band — a ring
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. capital — a city
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. swing — to play on
  8. ball — a dance
  9. capital — money
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. swing — music
  12. band — a music group
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ball — a great time
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. swing — in golf
  19. net — after costs
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. sharp — clever
  24. band — a rubber band

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