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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. field — farmland
  3. march — music
  4. firm — steady
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. capital — money
  11. march — the month
  12. mug — a cup
  13. march — the month
  14. firm — a company
  15. mug — to rob
  16. firm — decided
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mug — a face
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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