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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.

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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: capital · rock · fine · pitcher · swing · scale · hand · bass

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. swing — to play on
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. capital — a city
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bass — low music
  8. scale — in music
  9. rock — music
  10. capital — money
  11. swing — music
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fine — high quality
  14. scale — size or range
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fine — all right
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rock — a stone
  22. hand — help
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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