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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bound — certain
  6. march — music
  7. capital — money
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. lie — to recline
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. march — the month
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. capital — a city
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. tube — the underground
  18. prune — to trim
  19. tube — a container
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. capital — a big letter

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