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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bass — the fish
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rash — hasty
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. capital — a city
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bass — low music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. net — for catching
  16. capital — money
  17. net — after costs
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. vault — a safe
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rash — a series

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