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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: wake · roll · bass · capital · bay · ground · game · hand

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. ground — a position
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bass — low music
  8. game — a match
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. capital — a city
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. ground — crushed
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. hand — help
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. capital — money
  22. roll — a list
  23. game — wild animals
  24. roll — a cake

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