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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. present — a gift
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. kick — in football
  8. present — there
  9. bank — of a river
  10. band — a ring
  11. bank — for money
  12. capital — money
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. present — the time now
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bank — for money
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. capital — a city
  22. band — a music group
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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