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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: bass · chip · capital · jam · straw · staff · pass · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bass — the fish
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. staff — employees
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pass — a permit
  14. chip — to eat
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bass — low music
  17. chip — for betting
  18. staff — a stick
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. staff — employees
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. jam — in traffic

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