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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: rush · bass · file · lash · jam · fork · racket · capital

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. capital — a city
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rush — hurry
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  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