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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · swing · toast · track · bowl · rest

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. track — to keep track
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rest — what's left
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. swing — music
  8. track — a path
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rest — a break
  11. toast — bread
  12. rest — what's left
  13. capital — a city
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. track — a song
  16. swing — in golf
  17. capital — money
  18. bowl — a football final

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