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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pop — to visit
  5. land — a country
  6. suit — to fit
  7. board — a committee
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. suit — in cards
  11. capital — a city
  12. pop — music
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. foot — a measure
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bass — low music
  21. capital — money
  22. pop — soda
  23. land — to come down
  24. board — to get on

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