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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bass — the fish
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cap — of ice
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bass — low music
  12. cap — a hat
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mug — to rob
  16. capital — a city
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mug — a face
  20. rash — a series
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. capital — money
  24. row — a line

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