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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. capital — money
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bass — low music
  9. capital — a city
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. current — of water
  13. wound — an injury
  14. deal — to handle
  15. current — happening now
  16. bass — the fish
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. current — electric
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rock — a stone
  22. key — for a lock
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. coach — a trainer

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