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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · bowl · straw · pitcher · bass · sharp · capital · swing

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. capital — money
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. spell — letters
  6. sharp — clever
  7. swing — in golf
  8. spell — magic
  9. swing — music
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. swing — to play on
  13. capital — a city
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bass — low music
  24. bowl — a football final

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