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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. track — to keep track
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. track — a song
  9. march — the month
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stem — to come from
  13. track — a path
  14. capital — money
  15. march — music
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. clip — a video
  19. rash — a series
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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