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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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Word bank
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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 · straw · lash · deal · roll · swing · rock · game

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. swing — to play on
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. game — a match
  6. roll — a cake
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. capital — money
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. swing — music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rock — a stone
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. capital — a city
  18. swing — in golf
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. roll — a list
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. deal — to handle

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