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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. craft — a skill
  4. capital — a city
  5. bass — low music
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. prune — to trim
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. fine — all right
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. craft — boats
  14. kid — child
  15. fine — high quality
  16. band — a ring
  17. capital — money
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kid — to tease

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