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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bank — of a river
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. capital — a city
  5. stock — shares
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. stock — goods
  9. season — of the year
  10. bank — for money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. ground — the earth
  14. season — in sport
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bank — for money
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. ruler — for measuring

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