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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bass — low music
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mate — to breed
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. spell — a short time
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bass — the fish
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. mate — a friend
  19. ground — crushed
  20. spell — magic
  21. capital — money
  22. spell — letters
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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