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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fall — the season
  3. swing — to play on
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. club — for dancing
  7. swing — in golf
  8. march — the month
  9. fall — to drop
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mine — for digging
  12. swing — music
  13. capital — money
  14. fall — to drop
  15. club — for golf
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bat — the animal
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. club — a group
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. march — music

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