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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. capital — a city
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. capital — money
  5. march — music
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rule — government
  12. can — a tin
  13. track — a song
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. march — the month
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. club — for golf
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rule — a law
  21. march — the month
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wax — to grow

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