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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — a city
  5. pop — soda
  6. rash — a series
  7. bass — the fish
  8. drill — the tool
  9. firm — a company
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pop — music
  14. capital — money
  15. swing — to play on
  16. foot — a measure
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bass — low music
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pop — to visit
  23. swing — music
  24. firm — steady

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