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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. capital — a city
  5. fine — all right
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. stem — to come from
  9. march — the month
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. fine — high quality
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. march — music
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. capital — money
  24. march — the month

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