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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.

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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.

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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: hand · cue · capital · bass · pop · bear · mine · mate

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pop — soda
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. capital — a city
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pop — music
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bass — low music
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cue — for pool
  19. hand — in cards
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mate — a partner
  22. hand — help
  23. capital — money
  24. bass — the instrument

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