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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. march — music
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. fork — in a road
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. march — the month
  7. roll — a cake
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. capital — a city
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. capital — money
  16. roll — a list
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. row — a line
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — boats
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. march — the month

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