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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mark — a grade
  3. capital — money
  4. drill — a practice
  5. pop — to visit
  6. march — the month
  7. firm — decided
  8. drill — army training
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. capital — a city
  13. rash — a series
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pop — soda
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mark — a trace
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — steady
  20. pop — music
  21. chip — for betting
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. mark — to pay attention

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