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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 120 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: fork · season · cold · band · capital · fine · swing · firm

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. capital — a city
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. band — a ring
  6. firm — decided
  7. fork — in a road
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. firm — steady
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. swing — music
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. firm — a company
  16. band — a music group
  17. season — of the year
  18. fine — high quality
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fine — all right
  21. season — in sport
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cold — not warm
  24. swing — to play on

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