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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. rock — music
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. can — a tin
  16. date — the fruit
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. scale — size or range
  19. can — a tin
  20. scale — in music
  21. capital — money
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. date — on the calendar

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