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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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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: toast · jam · tear · capital · suit · bat · bass · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. capital — money
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. tear — from crying
  11. suit — to fit
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. toast — bread
  15. bass — the fish
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. suit — in cards
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. bass — low music
  20. capital — a city
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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