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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. current — happening now
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bass — low music
  9. capital — money
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. current — electric
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bass — the fish
  21. capital — a city
  22. hand — help
  23. current — of water
  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