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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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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 · capital · leaves · row · pitcher · pound · firm · clip

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. firm — steady
  6. clip — a video
  7. pound — a weight
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. row — a line
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. clip — to cut
  12. firm — a company
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. firm — decided
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. swing — music
  21. capital — a city
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. clip — for paper
  24. capital — money

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