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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: swing · roll · capital · scale · pass · bore · mine · fall

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fall — to drop
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mine — for digging
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bore — to tire
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. capital — money
  23. roll — a list
  24. capital — a city

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