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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 120 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — employees
  3. hand — in cards
  4. march — music
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rash — a series
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. capital — money
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fine — all right
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. staff — employees
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. staff — a stick

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