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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. land — a country
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. rash — hasty
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. squash — the sport
  7. march — the month
  8. land — ground
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. march — the month
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mark — a grade
  20. capital — money
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. capital — a city
  23. march — music
  24. land — to come down

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