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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. march — the month
  4. bass — the fish
  5. last — to go on
  6. content — happy
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. last — finally
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. capital — money
  13. march — music
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bass — low music
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. capital — a city
  20. last — final
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. content — the amount

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