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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitch — completely
  3. file — a line of people
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bear — the animal
  8. file — a document
  9. march — music
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. court — of law
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. file — a tool
  16. court — for sport
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. court — of a king
  20. capital — a city
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. march — the month
  24. capital — money

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