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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. capital — money
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bass — low music
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wake — a trail
  12. capital — a city
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bass — the fish
  16. firm — a company
  17. kid — child
  18. firm — steady

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