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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. rash — hasty
  4. capital — a city
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. foot — a measure
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mark — a grade
  11. object — a thing
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rash — a series
  16. mark — a trace
  17. capital — money
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. march — music
  20. hand — help
  21. object — to protest
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. object — an aim

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