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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. season — in sport
  3. mate — a friend
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. can — a tin
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. season — of the year
  14. mate — to breed
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. track — a path
  19. can — a tin
  20. march — the month
  21. scale — in music
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mate — a partner
  24. capital — money

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