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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. capital — money
  3. bass — low music
  4. mark — a trace
  5. hand — in cards
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. saw — the tool
  10. board — a committee
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mark — a grade
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. board — to get on
  17. hand — help
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. capital — a city
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. hand — part of the body

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