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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mug — a face
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mug — to rob
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mug — a cup
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bass — low music
  14. craft — a skill
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. capital — money
  17. content — happy
  18. foot — a measure
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. cell — in biology
  22. capital — a city
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. content — the amount

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