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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 · firm · shower · bass · bowl · pitch · chip · spring

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. capital — money
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bass — the fish
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. firm — a company
  15. capital — a city
  16. bass — low music
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. spring — a coil
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. firm — steady
  22. chip — for betting
  23. firm — decided
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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