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

Word bank: rock · face · deal · swing · chair · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. swing — music
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rock — music
  6. capital — a city
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. swing — to play on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. swing — in golf
  12. face — part of the head
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. face — to confront
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rock — a stone

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