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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. capital — money
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. capital — a city
  18. fine — high quality
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fine — all right
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bass — low music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fine — a penalty

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