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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 · plane · swing · pit · fine · bat · bound · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. pit — in a race
  3. track — a song
  4. capital — a city
  5. fine — all right
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bound — tied together
  9. swing — music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. track — a path
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pit — a hole
  19. plane — a tool
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fine — a penalty
  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