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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bass — the fish
  3. hand — in cards
  4. scale — size or range
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cap — a hat
  11. snap — to click
  12. bass — low music
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. capital — a city
  15. hand — help
  16. cap — of ice
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. scale — in music
  20. capital — money
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. capital — a big letter

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