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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. swing — in golf
  3. field — farmland
  4. swing — music
  5. rash — a series
  6. capital — a city
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — for sport
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rash — hasty
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. staff — employees
  15. prune — to trim
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. field — a subject
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. capital — money
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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