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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. march — the month
  3. lean — to bend
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. toast — bread
  6. lean — thin
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spell — magic
  9. march — music
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bound — obliged
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. march — the month
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. capital — a city
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bound — certain
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. spell — letters
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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