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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. last — to go on
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. march — music
  9. game — wild animals
  10. club — for golf
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. game — a match
  13. march — the month
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. club — for dancing
  18. last — final
  19. club — a group
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. last — finally
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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