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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mug · capital · scale · bass · straw · race · current · lash

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bass — the fish
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mug — a face
  9. race — the arms race
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. current — electric
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. current — of water
  17. bass — low music
  18. capital — a city
  19. current — happening now
  20. scale — in music
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mug — a cup
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — an eyelash

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