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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · capital · march · swing · squash · current · lean · chair

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. chair — a leader
  3. swing — to play on
  4. march — the month
  5. current — electric
  6. march — music
  7. current — happening now
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. swing — music
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lean — to bend
  13. capital — a city
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. capital — money
  19. march — the month
  20. current — of water
  21. lean — thin
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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