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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pop — music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. staff — employees
  10. plane — a tool
  11. swing — in golf
  12. capital — money
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. capital — a city
  15. swing — music
  16. chair — a leader
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. staff — employees
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. staff — a stick
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pop — to visit
  24. arm — a part of something

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