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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. track — a song
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. clip — a video
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stand — to bear
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. track — a path
  13. capital — a city
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. clip — to cut
  16. saw — the tool
  17. clip — for paper
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. capital — money
  21. swing — to play on
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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