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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — employees
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. suit — to fit
  5. capital — money
  6. last — final
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. capital — a city
  12. last — finally
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. march — music
  15. staff — a stick
  16. suit — in cards
  17. ball — a great time
  18. last — to go on
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. ball — a dance
  21. staff — employees
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. suit — clothes
  24. mouse — for a computer

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