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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. march — music
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bound — tied together
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rock — music
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. content — the amount
  12. rock — a stone
  13. march — the month
  14. bound — certain
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. march — the month
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. capital — money
  23. content — happy
  24. bowl — a football final

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