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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bank — for money
  3. march — the month
  4. rest — what's left
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. capital — money
  10. present — the time now
  11. march — music
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. bank — for money
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. lie — to recline
  18. present — there
  19. rest — a break
  20. bank — of a river
  21. present — a gift
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. spring — a coil

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