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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. swing — music
  3. last — to go on
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. capital — a city
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. capital — money
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. season — of the year
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. season — in sport
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. squash — the sport
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. squash — to crush
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. last — final

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