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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.

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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. club — a group
  4. plane — a tool
  5. scale — in music
  6. club — for golf
  7. wake — a trail
  8. capital — a city
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. capital — money
  12. march — the month
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. scale — size or range
  15. march — music
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. march — the month
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. clip — for paper

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