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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: leaves · pass · march · capital · mate · racket · chip · ground

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. march — the month
  4. mate — a friend
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mate — a partner
  7. ground — crushed
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chip — to eat
  10. march — music
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. march — the month
  14. ground — the earth
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mate — to breed
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. ground — a position
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. capital — a city
  23. chip — for betting
  24. capital — a big letter

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