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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cap — a lid
  3. swing — music
  4. capital — money
  5. cap — of ice
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. capital — a city
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bass — low music
  15. charge — in control
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cap — a hat
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. charge — a price
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pitch — completely
  24. coach — a trainer

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