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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. march — the month
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. capital — a city
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. ball — a dance
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. march — music
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. roll — a list
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. capital — money

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