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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: capital · toast · pound · mate · club · swing · firm · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. swing — in golf
  3. firm — steady
  4. swing — music
  5. firm — decided
  6. swing — to play on
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. club — for golf
  12. capital — a city
  13. club — for dancing
  14. track — a song
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. firm — a company
  17. mate — to breed
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. capital — money
  23. club — a group
  24. pound — a weight

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