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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. roll — a cake
  3. capital — a city
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. capital — money
  8. kid — to tease
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. roll — a list
  12. pit — in a race
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. march — the month
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pit — a hole
  23. march — music
  24. kid — child

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