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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 · bass · face · net · rock · swing · wind · object

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. object — to protest
  6. capital — a city
  7. net — after costs
  8. bass — low music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. object — an aim
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. rock — music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. capital — money
  18. object — a thing
  19. swing — in golf
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. swing — music
  24. face — to confront

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