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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 116 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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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: kid · staff · fall · bass · content · capital · calf · present

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. capital — money
  4. kid — child
  5. bass — the fish
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bass — low music
  9. staff — a stick
  10. content — the amount
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. present — there
  14. staff — employees
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. kid — to tease
  17. fall — to drop
  18. present — a gift
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fall — the season
  21. content — happy
  22. staff — employees
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. present — the time now

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