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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. march — the month
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. mark — a trace
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. march — the month
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. suit — to fit
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. suit — clothes
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. suit — in cards
  17. march — music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mark — a grade
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. object — a thing
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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