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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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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 · club · key · capital · rule · toast · file · bass

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. capital — money
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rule — government
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rule — a law
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. file — a line of people
  10. club — a group
  11. swing — in golf
  12. key — in music
  13. swing — music
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. capital — a city
  17. file — a tool
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. file — a document

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