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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. tube — a container
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. scale — size or range
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fine — all right
  8. capital — money
  9. fine — high quality
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. swing — music
  14. scale — in music
  15. pop — soda
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pop — music
  20. tube — the underground
  21. capital — a city
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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