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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. net — in sport
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. deal — to handle
  7. content — the amount
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. scale — in music
  11. net — for catching
  12. scale — size or range
  13. content — happy
  14. present — there
  15. capital — a city
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. present — a gift
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. capital — money
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. march — music
  22. net — after costs
  23. present — the time now
  24. march — the month

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