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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. plane — a tool
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. wind — moving air
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. spell — letters
  9. capital — a city
  10. land — ground
  11. wind — moving air
  12. march — music
  13. capital — money
  14. march — the month
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. spell — magic
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. toast — bread
  19. spell — a short time
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. land — a country
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. land — to come down
  24. jam — in traffic

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