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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bass — low music
  4. cap — a lid
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. ball — a dance
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. spring — of water
  9. face — to point toward
  10. spring — the season
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. face — part of the head
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cap — of ice
  16. capital — money
  17. bass — the fish
  18. capital — a city
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. face — to confront
  22. cap — a hat
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bowl — to roll

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