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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. scale — in music
  4. march — music
  5. dip — to sink
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. scale — size or range
  8. season — of the year
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. march — the month
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. capital — a city
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. season — in sport
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bore — to tire
  21. march — the month
  22. bore — to drill
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bowl — a dish

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