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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fall — to drop
  3. can — a tin
  4. capital — a city
  5. can — a tin
  6. wind — moving air
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. fall — the season
  10. last — final
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. last — finally
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. last — to go on
  15. capital — money
  16. fall — to drop
  17. march — music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. march — the month
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. can — to be able to
  23. march — the month
  24. wind — to turn a key

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