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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. march — music
  4. capital — a city
  5. content — happy
  6. pop — music
  7. track — a song
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. march — the month
  10. track — a path
  11. pop — to visit
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. march — the month
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. track — to keep track
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pop — soda
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. foot — a measure
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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