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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 120 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: cell · perch · capital · content · plane · swing

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. swing — in golf
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — happy
  6. capital — a city
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. capital — money
  11. cell — a phone
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cell — in biology
  14. plane — a tool
  15. content — the amount
  16. perch — the fish
  17. swing — music
  18. plane — an aircraft

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