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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. game — a match
  4. can — to be able to
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. bass — low music
  10. capital — money
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. capital — a city
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rash — hasty
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rash — a series
  24. capital — a big letter

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