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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. march — the month
  3. can — a tin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. can — to be able to
  9. march — the month
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. can — a tin
  12. game — a match
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. march — music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cell — a phone
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. game — a kind of play

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