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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. sharp — clever
  6. march — the month
  7. capital — money
  8. squash — the sport
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. vault — a safe
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. march — music
  17. pop — music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pop — to visit
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pop — soda
  22. squash — to crush
  23. march — the month
  24. sharp — exactly

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