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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pop — music
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. club — for dancing
  6. track — to keep track
  7. club — for golf
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. track — a song
  10. swing — in golf
  11. club — a group
  12. track — a path
  13. capital — money
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pop — to visit
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. vault — a safe
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pop — soda
  24. swing — music

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