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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
468
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: pitcher · firm · club · wind · bass · arm · rash · capital

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. club — for golf
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. capital — money
  7. club — for dancing
  8. capital — a city
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. firm — a company
  12. rash — hasty
  13. club — a group
  14. bass — low music
  15. firm — decided
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rash — a series
  24. wind — moving air

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