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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. land — ground
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. land — a country
  5. bank — for money
  6. bass — low music
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bank — for money
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. scale — in music
  11. capital — a city
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pit — in a race
  16. land — to come down
  17. bank — of a river
  18. scale — size or range
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bass — the fish
  24. nail — for a hammer

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