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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 · chest · toast · pit · leaves · rock · mine · capital

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. chest — a box
  4. rock — music
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bass — low music
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. capital — a city
  14. rock — a stone
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pit — in a race
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mine — for digging
  22. chest — of your body
  23. capital — money
  24. toast — bread

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