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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. march — the month
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. file — a tool
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pound — a weight
  14. fork — in a road
  15. march — music
  16. firm — a company
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pop — soda
  19. capital — a city
  20. file — a document
  21. march — the month
  22. firm — steady
  23. file — a line of people
  24. firm — decided

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