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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. swing — music
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bass — the fish
  5. capital — a city
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. capital — money
  10. swing — to play on
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. roll — a list
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bass — low music
  18. rush — to hurry

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