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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. suit — in cards
  4. swing — in golf
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. game — a match
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bound — obliged
  12. swing — to play on
  13. suit — to fit
  14. land — to come down
  15. capital — money
  16. land — ground
  17. bound — tied together
  18. tube — a container
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. tube — the underground
  21. land — a country
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bound — certain

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