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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. capital — money
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wax — to grow
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. stock — goods
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. scale — in music
  14. roll — a cake
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. capital — a city
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. swing — music

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