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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. capital — a city
  3. cap — of ice
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. cap — a lid
  7. season — in sport
  8. sharp — clever
  9. object — to protest
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. object — a thing
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. season — of the year
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. object — an aim

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