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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pit — in a race
  7. march — the month
  8. capital — money
  9. drill — the tool
  10. object — a thing
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. capital — a city
  14. pit — a hole
  15. march — the month
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — music
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — an aim
  20. drill — army training
  21. rash — a series
  22. drill — a practice
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rock — a stone

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