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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bass — the fish
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — to eat
  16. capital — a city
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. staff — a stick
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. capital — money
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. staff — employees

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