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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — to play on
  5. key — the most important part
  6. capital — a city
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. snap — to click
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pop — soda
  16. staff — employees
  17. swing — music
  18. key — in music
  19. capital — money
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pop — music
  22. staff — employees
  23. swing — in golf
  24. march — music

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