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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. land — a country
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. march — the month
  8. capital — money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — music
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pop — to visit
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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