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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. suit — clothes
  4. mark — a trace
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. capital — a city
  7. march — the month
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. march — music
  10. content — happy
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mark — a grade
  13. capital — money
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mine — for digging
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — to fit
  20. snap — to click
  21. content — the amount
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. mark — to pay attention

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