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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. capital — money
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. capital — a city
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rest — a break
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wound — an injury
  10. march — music
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rest — what's left
  17. land — ground
  18. bulb — for light
  19. march — the month
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. march — the month
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bulb — of a plant

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