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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wake — a trail
  3. band — a ring
  4. capital — money
  5. bass — the fish
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bass — low music
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. mug — a face
  11. season — of the year
  12. mug — to rob
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. season — in sport
  17. content — the amount
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. content — happy
  20. tube — the underground
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. tube — a container
  24. band — a music group

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