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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. march — the month
  3. cue — a hint
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. band — a music group
  8. fine — all right
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. capital — a city
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. fine — high quality
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. march — music
  15. stem — to come from
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cue — for pool
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cue — a signal
  23. march — the month
  24. fine — a penalty

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