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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hand — in cards
  3. track — a path
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bass — low music
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. capital — a city
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. track — a song
  16. branch — a division
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bass — the fish
  20. hand — help
  21. capital — money
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bass — the instrument

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