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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 · bay · court · capital · pop · march · roll · sharp

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. capital — a city
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. court — of law
  9. pop — soda
  10. court — for sport
  11. march — the month
  12. capital — money
  13. pop — to visit
  14. march — music
  15. roll — a list
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pop — music
  18. court — of a king
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. roll — a cake
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. sharp — with an edge

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