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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · march · suit · present · bass · capital · wind · straw

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mine — for digging
  4. present — a gift
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. present — the time now
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. suit — to fit
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. suit — in cards
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. capital — money
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. suit — clothes
  20. present — there
  21. capital — a city
  22. march — the month
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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