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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. march — the month
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. mate — a friend
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. rock — music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. capital — a city
  18. face — part of the head
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. capital — money
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rock — a stone

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