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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. capital — a city
  3. march — music
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. clip — a video
  6. suit — in cards
  7. pop — music
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. suit — to fit
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pop — to visit
  12. vault — a safe
  13. march — the month
  14. suit — clothes
  15. firm — steady
  16. club — a group
  17. clip — to cut
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. firm — a company
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pop — soda
  23. firm — decided
  24. club — for golf

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