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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. capital — a city
  5. can — a tin
  6. bear — the animal
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. can — to be able to
  11. branch — a division
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. lie — to recline
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. capital — money
  19. fork — in a road
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. march — the month
  22. can — a tin
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bear — to put up with

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