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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. march — music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. capital — a city
  6. march — the month
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bound — tied together
  9. court — of law
  10. bass — the fish
  11. land — ground
  12. capital — money
  13. court — of a king
  14. bound — obliged
  15. land — a country
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. court — for sport
  18. toast — bread
  19. bass — low music
  20. bound — certain
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. land — to come down
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. march — the month

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