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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. march — music
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. march — the month
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. press — to push
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. craft — boats
  12. capital — a city
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. march — the month
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. sharp — clever
  20. capital — money
  21. saw — the tool
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. press — newspapers
  24. coach — a trainer

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