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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. firm — a company
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. firm — decided
  19. pitch — completely
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. firm — steady
  24. pitcher — a jug

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