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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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bass — low music
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. tube — a container
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cell — a phone
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. capital — a city
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. hand — help
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. hand — in cards
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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