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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.

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: bass · pitcher · race · jam · rock · capital · pound · fine

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. capital — a city
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pound — a weight
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. capital — money
  14. rock — music
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. race — humankind
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bass — low music
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. race — a contest
  24. bass — the fish

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