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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mine — for digging
  3. firm — steady
  4. capital — money
  5. bank — for money
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — a city
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. degree — from a university
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bank — of a river
  13. firm — a company
  14. bass — low music
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. firm — decided
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bass — the fish
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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