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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bass — low music
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. ball — a great time
  5. capital — money
  6. object — to protest
  7. bass — the fish
  8. club — for golf
  9. mark — a grade
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wind — moving air
  13. staff — a stick
  14. club — a group
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. staff — employees
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. capital — a city
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. staff — employees
  24. wind — moving air

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