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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. charge — electricity
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. ball — a great time
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. capital — money
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. charge — in control
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. charge — a price
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. capital — a city
  19. bass — the fish
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. ball — a dance
  24. lash — to lash out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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