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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. spell — a short time
  4. swing — music
  5. degree — an amount
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. band — a music group
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. capital — a city
  11. degree — from a university
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. swing — in golf
  15. degree — temperature
  16. capital — money
  17. band — a ring
  18. spell — letters
  19. swing — to play on
  20. spell — magic
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. leaves — lets stay

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