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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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. band — a rubber band
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bass — the fish
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. capital — a city
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hand — in cards
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. capital — money
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. band — a ring
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitch — completely
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. hand — help
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. wake — a trail
  24. band — a music group

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