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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mark — a trace
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. fine — high quality
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. swing — music
  14. press — newspapers
  15. row — a line
  16. capital — money
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. club — a group
  19. press — to push
  20. club — for golf
  21. swing — to play on
  22. fine — all right
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mark — a grade

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