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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. bass — the instrument
  2. cold — not warm
  3. hand — in cards
  4. capital — a city
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bank — for money
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bank — of a river
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. capital — money
  18. bass — the fish
  19. cold — an illness
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bank — for money
  22. bass — low music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rash — a series

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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