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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. march — the month
  3. capital — money
  4. last — final
  5. season — of the year
  6. ground — the earth
  7. suit — to fit
  8. march — the month
  9. last — to go on
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. march — music
  12. season — in sport
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. ground — a position
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tube — a container
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. suit — in cards
  20. last — finally
  21. lie — to recline
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. tube — the underground
  24. ground — crushed

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