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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. fine — all right
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. march — the month
  4. rock — a stone
  5. capital — a city
  6. stem — to come from
  7. staff — employees
  8. march — music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cue — a hint
  11. march — the month
  12. rock — music
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. staff — employees
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cue — a signal
  18. staff — a stick
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cue — for pool
  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