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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. capital — money
  4. pop — soda
  5. march — the month
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wake — a trail
  8. capital — a city
  9. march — the month
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pass — a permit
  16. key — in music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. march — music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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