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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mark — a grade
  3. march — the month
  4. clip — for paper
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mate — to breed
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bass — low music
  17. rock — music
  18. march — music
  19. clip — a video
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. capital — money
  22. mate — a friend
  23. clip — to cut
  24. capital — a city

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