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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. capital — money
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. can — to be able to
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. march — the month
  8. capital — a city
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lie — to recline
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. march — music
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. march — the month
  19. degree — temperature
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wax — to grow
  23. can — a tin
  24. degree — an amount

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