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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. last — finally
  4. fine — high quality
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. charge — electricity
  8. capital — a city
  9. wound — an injury
  10. march — the month
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. last — to go on
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. charge — in control
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. charge — a price
  18. fine — all right
  19. last — final
  20. march — the month
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. march — music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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