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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. game — wild animals
  3. swing — in golf
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. game — a match
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. mate — a partner
  12. scale — size or range
  13. swing — music
  14. mate — to breed
  15. capital — money
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. capital — a city
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. scale — in music
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. club — a group
  24. scale — for weighing

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