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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cue — a hint
  3. march — the month
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. file — a line of people
  7. capital — money
  8. cue — a signal
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. file — a tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pop — soda
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pop — music
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cue — for pool
  20. file — a document
  21. march — music
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mark — a trace

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