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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. game — wild animals
  5. craft — a skill
  6. game — a match
  7. band — a music group
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. capital — a city
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lie — to recline
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. capital — money
  22. band — a ring
  23. bass — low music
  24. craft — boats

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