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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. roll — a cake
  4. court — of a king
  5. roll — a list
  6. ground — a position
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — music
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. court — of law
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pitch — completely
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. ground — crushed
  22. court — for sport
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pitch — a sports field

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