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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. march — music
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mark — a grade
  7. march — the month
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. land — to come down
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. mark — a trace
  17. march — the month
  18. fork — in a road
  19. land — a country
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. land — ground
  24. lean — to rest against

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