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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. spring — a coil
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. capital — money
  5. wind — moving air
  6. capital — a city
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pop — soda
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spring — the season
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. chip — to eat
  16. spring — of water
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bass — low music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. deal — to handle
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chip — in a computer

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