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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. suit — clothes
  5. march — music
  6. last — finally
  7. root — of a word
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. capital — money
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. root — the cause
  14. mine — for digging
  15. capital — a city
  16. bear — the animal
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. last — 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