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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. pop — to visit
  3. bore — to tire
  4. squash — the sport
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bore — to drill
  7. swing — in golf
  8. band — a music group
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. swing — to play on
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. band — a ring
  14. pop — soda
  15. squash — to crush
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pop — music
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. capital — money
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. capital — a big letter
  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