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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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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bank — for money
  4. mine — for digging
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bass — low music
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cue — a signal
  12. capital — money
  13. bank — for money
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cap — a lid
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. capital — a city
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cap — a hat
  24. temple — side of the head

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