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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. firm — a company
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. firm — steady
  5. season — of the year
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cap — a lid
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. capital — money
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a song
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. season — in sport
  15. capital — a city
  16. track — a path
  17. firm — decided
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. march — the month
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. march — the month
  23. mate — a friend
  24. season — to add flavour

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