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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 116 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. swing — in golf
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. fine — all right
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. last — finally
  9. swing — music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. press — to push
  13. band — a music group
  14. press — newspapers
  15. last — final
  16. band — a ring
  17. fork — in a road
  18. swing — to play on
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. last — to go on
  22. press — a publisher
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. capital — a city

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