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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. march — the month
  6. staff — employees
  7. bass — low music
  8. last — to go on
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. march — the month
  11. can — a tin
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. bass — the fish
  21. staff — employees
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. mine — for digging

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