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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. spell — magic
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. field — farmland
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. spell — letters
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bound — obliged
  14. field — for sport
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bound — certain
  17. capital — money
  18. field — a subject
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. spell — a short time
  23. capital — a city
  24. dip — a sauce

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