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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: swing · mouse · ground · plane · capital · scale · leaves · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. swing — in golf
  3. scale — in music
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. plane — a tool
  9. scale — size or range
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. swing — to play on
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. ground — a position
  20. capital — money
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. swing — music
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mouse — the animal

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