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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: lie · capital · march · wave · jam · tear · pass · last

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. last — to go on
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. capital — a city
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. last — final
  15. capital — money
  16. pass — a permit
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. march — the month
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. last — finally
  24. tear — to rip

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