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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: mate · capital · date · swing · plane · chest · leaves · calf

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mate — to breed
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. swing — music
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. capital — a city
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. chest — of your body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. swing — to play on
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. chest — a box
  23. capital — money
  24. calf — of the leg

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