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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. firm — steady
  3. march — the month
  4. charge — a price
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. squash — to crush
  9. court — of law
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — for sport
  13. firm — decided
  14. charge — in control
  15. capital — a city
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. march — the month
  19. court — of a king
  20. wind — moving air
  21. charge — electricity
  22. capital — money
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. firm — a company

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