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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. capital — money
  5. ball — a dance
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cap — of ice
  9. capital — a city
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pop — soda
  13. bass — low music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rush — hurry
  16. spring — of water
  17. pop — music
  18. ball — a great time
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cap — a hat

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