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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.

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: mouse · tube · last · land · mine · pit · capital · march

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. land — to come down
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. march — music
  6. pit — a hole
  7. last — finally
  8. capital — money
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. tube — a container
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. land — a country
  19. pit — in a race
  20. land — ground
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. last — final
  24. march — the month

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