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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fine — all right
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bass — low music
  13. capital — money
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bat — the animal
  18. capital — a city
  19. bass — the fish
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. chair — a leader

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