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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: swing · deal · season · capital · march · mine · hide · suit

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. swing — in golf
  3. march — the month
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. suit — in cards
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. march — music
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. swing — music
  11. mine — for digging
  12. season — of the year
  13. suit — clothes
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. season — in sport
  17. march — the month
  18. capital — money
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. suit — to fit
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. capital — a city

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