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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 116 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. capital — a city
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bass — low music
  7. track — to keep track
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bass — the fish
  10. track — a path
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wound — an injury
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wound — an injury
  16. band — a ring
  17. capital — money
  18. degree — from a university
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. track — a song
  24. band — a music group

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