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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · scale · net · march · spell · capital · pop · club

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. spell — magic
  6. net — in sport
  7. capital — a city
  8. march — the month
  9. spell — letters
  10. net — for catching
  11. club — for golf
  12. pop — music
  13. spell — a short time
  14. capital — money
  15. scale — size or range
  16. net — after costs
  17. club — a group
  18. march — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. club — for dancing
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. march — the month
  23. pop — to visit
  24. fine — all right

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