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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. lean — thin
  3. rock — a stone
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. capital — a city
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. march — music
  11. perch — the fish
  12. shower — to wash
  13. degree — an amount
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. shower — rain
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rock — music
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. capital — a big letter

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