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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ball — a dance
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pop — music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. firm — decided
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. firm — steady
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pop — to visit
  15. drill — army training
  16. pop — soda
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. march — music
  19. capital — money
  20. march — the month
  21. capital — a city
  22. firm — a company
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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