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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 120 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. capital — a city
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bore — to tire
  7. can — a tin
  8. capital — money
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. can — to be able to
  14. hand — help
  15. charge — in control
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. charge — a price
  18. shower — rain
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bore — to drill
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. can — a tin

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