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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · march · capital · mug · tube · scale

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mate — a partner
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. march — the month
  8. capital — a city
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mate — a friend
  12. capital — money
  13. march — the month
  14. scale — in music
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mate — to breed
  18. march — music

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