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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. deal — to handle
  6. capital — a city
  7. march — the month
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wound — an injury
  12. face — part of the head
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pass — a permit
  15. face — to confront
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mark — a grade
  19. march — the month
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mark — a trace
  23. march — music
  24. wound — an injury

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