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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. squash — to crush
  4. capital — money
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bass — low music
  8. sharp — clever
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bass — the fish
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. tube — a container
  18. capital — a city
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rash — hasty
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. rash — a series

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