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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. capital — money
  3. rash — a series
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. degree — temperature
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. rash — hasty
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wound — an injury
  15. season — in sport
  16. bass — the fish
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — of the year
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bass — low music
  22. fine — all right
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. capital — a city

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