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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 116 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: wave · club · mate · capital · mug · bass · game · rest

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rest — a break
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. club — a group
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mate — to breed
  8. capital — money
  9. mate — a partner
  10. capital — a city
  11. club — for golf
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bass — low music
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mug — to rob

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