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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bass — low music
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spell — magic
  8. plane — a tool
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bass — the fish
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. capital — a city
  21. spell — letters
  22. game — wild animals
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. straw — dry grass

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