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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: fine · snap · season · swing · wind · hide · capital · ground

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. swing — music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ground — the earth
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. capital — money
  7. ground — a position
  8. capital — a city
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fine — high quality
  11. snap — to click
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. fine — all right
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. ground — crushed
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. swing — to play on

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