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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: capital · date · plane · mug · last · bass · track · row

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. plane — a tool
  3. mug — to rob
  4. track — a path
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. date — the fruit
  7. last — final
  8. row — a line
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. capital — money
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. bass — low music
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. last — finally
  16. capital — a city
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. last — to go on
  20. mug — a face
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mug — a cup
  24. row — to paddle

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