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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. plane — a tool
  7. ground — crushed
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. date — the fruit
  10. capital — money
  11. march — music
  12. capital — a city
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pop — music
  15. march — the month
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. hand — help
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hand — in cards
  21. ground — the earth
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — a position
  24. plane — an aircraft

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