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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: pop · date · snap · rest · bound · march · sharp · capital

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rest — what's left
  4. capital — money
  5. rest — what's left
  6. sharp — clever
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pop — soda
  10. date — the fruit
  11. march — the month
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bound — certain
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. march — music
  18. rest — a break
  19. march — the month
  20. bound — obliged
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. snap — to click
  23. capital — a city
  24. date — on the calendar

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