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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. ball — a dance
  7. can — to be able to
  8. net — in sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. net — after costs
  11. can — a tin
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. dip — to sink
  15. capital — money
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bass — low music
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bass — the fish
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. net — for catching
  23. date — the fruit
  24. capital — a city

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