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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. march — the month
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. march — music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. capital — money
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. press — to push
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. capital — a city

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