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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. capital — a city
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rest — a break
  7. press — newspapers
  8. capital — money
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. rest — what's left
  12. swing — in golf
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bound — certain
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pop — music
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cap — of ice
  20. press — to push
  21. pop — soda
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bound — tied together
  24. march — music

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