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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lean — to bend
  3. drill — army training
  4. land — a country
  5. drill — the tool
  6. lean — thin
  7. march — music
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. root — of a word
  10. capital — a city
  11. drill — a practice
  12. march — the month
  13. capital — money
  14. cap — of ice
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cap — a hat
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. root — the cause
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. root — of a plant
  21. land — ground
  22. cap — a lid
  23. sharp — clever
  24. land — to come down

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