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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 124 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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Word bank
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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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. hide — to keep secret
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wake — a trail
  11. capital — a city
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. degree — temperature
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — to lash out

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