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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: swing · row · mark · season · straw · capital · club · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. season — in sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. season — of the year
  8. capital — a city
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. club — a group
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. club — for golf
  15. mark — a trace
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. swing — in golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. swing — to play on
  20. lie — to recline
  21. capital — money
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. swing — music

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