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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. march — the month
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. chair — a leader
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. march — music
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. fine — all right
  22. bass — the fish
  23. capital — money
  24. bass — low 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