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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. degree — temperature
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bass — low music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pass — a permit
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. degree — an amount
  15. track — a song
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. board — a committee
  18. degree — from a university
  19. board — to get on
  20. capital — money
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. track — to keep track
  23. band — a ring
  24. track — a path

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