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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. march — the month
  3. cap — a hat
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. cap — of ice
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. stock — goods
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. capital — money
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ball — a dance
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. capital — a city
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cap — a lid

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