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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. swing — to play on
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tube — the underground
  5. march — music
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. capital — money
  8. swing — music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. spell — a short time
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — for golf
  14. swing — in golf
  15. club — a group
  16. dip — to sink
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. tube — a container
  20. spell — magic
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. march — the month
  23. spell — letters
  24. march — the month

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