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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.

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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: bass · rest · club · capital · lash · pitcher · chair · chip

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. club — a group
  3. rest — a break
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. club — for golf
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bass — low music
  24. chip — for betting

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