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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: capital · lash · ground · deal · bass · pass · mark · march

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. march — music
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ground — a position
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bass — low music
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. ground — crushed
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — the month
  21. bass — the fish
  22. march — the month
  23. capital — a city
  24. pass — a permit

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