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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 124 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bass — low music
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. capital — money
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. ball — a great time
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. toast — bread
  16. cold — not warm
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cold — an illness
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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