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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mug — a cup
  3. suit — to fit
  4. field — a subject
  5. march — music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. capital — a city
  8. chest — of your body
  9. field — for sport
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mug — a face
  13. suit — clothes
  14. march — the month
  15. fall — the season
  16. chest — a box
  17. mug — to rob
  18. wind — moving air
  19. march — the month
  20. suit — in cards
  21. chest — of your body
  22. field — farmland
  23. fall — to drop
  24. capital — a big letter

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