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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. land — to come down
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. land — a country
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. land — ground
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. cue — for pool
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. capital — a city
  22. mark — a trace
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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