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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mark — a grade
  3. current — happening now
  4. drill — army training
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. march — the month
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. march — music
  9. current — electric
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. capital — a city
  12. drill — a practice
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. drill — the tool
  16. current — of water
  17. march — the month
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mark — a trace
  24. foot — part of the body

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