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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. object — an aim
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. capital — a city
  5. object — a thing
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pitch — completely
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. face — part of the head
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. deal — to handle
  15. face — to point toward
  16. capital — money
  17. march — music
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. march — the month
  21. face — to confront
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. object — to protest
  24. hand — in cards

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