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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. march — the month
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. saw — the tool
  8. season — in sport
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. capital — a city
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. march — the month
  17. saw — the tool
  18. march — music
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. season — of the year
  21. capital — money
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. leaves — of a tree

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