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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 · fine · toast · foot · lie · bound · capital · race

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. swing — to play on
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. swing — in golf
  6. foot — a measure
  7. swing — music
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. capital — money
  10. bound — certain
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. capital — a city
  14. fine — all right
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. lie — to recline
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bound — obliged
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bound — tied together
  24. toast — bread

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