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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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. ball — a dance
  3. can — to be able to
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. capital — a city
  7. can — a tin
  8. cold — not warm
  9. season — in sport
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. season — of the year
  18. can — a tin
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cold — an illness
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. ball — a great time

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