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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. spell — magic
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fine — all right
  7. bass — the fish
  8. capital — a city
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. capital — money
  11. bass — low music
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stem — to come from
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. band — a ring
  23. fine — high quality
  24. stem — a stem cell

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