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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. capital — money
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tear — from crying
  7. court — for sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. court — of a king
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. capital — a city
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bass — low music
  20. court — of law
  21. tear — to rip
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rash — a series
  24. pop — to visit

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