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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. swing — music
  15. game — a match
  16. capital — a city
  17. swing — in golf
  18. capital — money
  19. game — wild animals
  20. swing — to play on
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. mine — for digging
  24. deal — a big deal

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