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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ground — a position
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. capital — money
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ground — crushed
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. capital — a city
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. kick — in football
  18. season — of the year
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. ground — the earth
  21. march — the month
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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