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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bass — low music
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rock — music
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bass — the fish
  9. drill — a practice
  10. capital — a city
  11. drill — army training
  12. mate — a partner
  13. suit — to fit
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. suit — clothes
  16. capital — money
  17. scale — in music
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mate — to breed
  22. suit — in cards
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. drill — the tool

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