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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. capital — a city
  3. game — wild animals
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fall — to drop
  8. swing — music
  9. game — a match
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hand — in cards
  16. capital — money
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. hand — help
  20. can — to be able to
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fall — the season
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. nail — for a hammer

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