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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bat — the animal
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. board — to get on
  8. capital — a city
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. rock — music
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. spell — letters
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. board — a committee
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. spell — magic

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