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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. capital — money
  4. rash — hasty
  5. capital — a city
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ground — a position
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. march — the month
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ball — a dance
  13. march — music
  14. mug — a cup
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rash — a series
  19. pit — a hole
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pit — in a race
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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