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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. capital — money
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. saw — the tool
  7. clip — for paper
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bass — low music
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. fine — high quality
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. clip — to cut
  21. saw — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. bass — the fish
  24. clip — a video

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