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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. capital — a city
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bass — low music
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pop — to visit
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pop — music
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. lean — thin
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. capital — money
  20. pop — soda
  21. ball — a great time
  22. plane — a tool
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rush — a thrill

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