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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pop — to visit
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. capital — money
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. firm — decided
  13. pop — music
  14. firm — steady
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pop — soda
  19. capital — a city
  20. bass — low music
  21. firm — a company
  22. chip — for betting
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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