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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: bear · staff · game · capital · mug · swing · march · plane

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. bear — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. mug — a face
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. capital — a city
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. swing — music
  11. game — a match
  12. march — the month
  13. mug — a cup
  14. plane — a tool
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mug — to rob
  17. swing — to play on
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bear — the animal
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. staff — employees
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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