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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: straw · bass · suit · mark · key · capital · wound · content

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bass — the fish
  3. capital — money
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mark — a grade
  6. capital — a city
  7. wound — an injury
  8. key — for a lock
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. suit — clothes
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mark — a trace
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. suit — to fit
  15. bass — low music
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. suit — in cards
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — videos and posts

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