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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 · bass · mug · bear · wake · pitch · mine · saw

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mug — a face
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bass — low music
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. capital — money
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mug — to rob

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