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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: kid · present · suit · mine · march · bass · capital · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. present — there
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. present — the time now
  6. march — music
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. suit — clothes
  9. kid — to tease
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — in cards
  12. march — the month
  13. kid — child
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mine — for digging
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. present — a gift
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. march — the month
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. pitcher — a jug

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