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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. march — the month
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. capital — money
  11. degree — from a university
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pound — a weight
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. content — the amount
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. degree — temperature
  23. content — happy
  24. bay — a horse colour

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