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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. band — a ring
  3. capital — money
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. band — a music group
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bass — low music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rock — music
  24. band — a rubber band

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