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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. capital — a city
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rest — what's left
  5. squash — the sport
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bass — low music
  12. file — a tool
  13. capital — money
  14. bass — the fish
  15. net — in sport
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. file — a document
  18. rest — a break
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rest — what's left
  23. squash — to crush
  24. lie — an untruth

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