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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 · fan · bass · march · foot · jam · mug · temple

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. bass — low music
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. capital — a city
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. march — the month
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. foot — a measure
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bass — the fish
  17. march — the month
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. march — music
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. foot — the bottom

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