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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bass — low music
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rule — government
  6. capital — money
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rule — a law
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stem — to come from
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. capital — a city
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cue — a signal
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cue — a hint
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. dip — to sink
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cue — for pool
  24. rule — to rule out

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