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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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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: scale · toast · capital · pound · season · march · nail · net

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. march — music
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. capital — a city
  5. net — in sport
  6. scale — in music
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. season — in sport
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pound — a weight
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. net — after costs
  20. capital — money
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. net — for catching
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — bread

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