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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 · rash · racket · capital · rock · craft · pop · spell

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. spell — letters
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. pop — to visit
  5. craft — a skill
  6. capital — a city
  7. craft — boats
  8. bass — the fish
  9. spell — magic
  10. rash — a series
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. capital — money
  15. pop — soda
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rock — music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pop — music
  24. bass — low music

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