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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. ground — a position
  3. march — the month
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. last — final
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — for money
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. ground — crushed
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. capital — money
  13. charge — a price
  14. lean — thin
  15. bank — for money
  16. march — music
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bank — of a river
  19. lean — to bend
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. charge — in control
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. ground — the earth

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