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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.

Make a worksheet

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: jam · capital · march · wound · leaves · mug · bay · drill

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. march — the month
  6. capital — a city
  7. wound — an injury
  8. march — the month
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. drill — the tool
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. drill — army training
  16. capital — money
  17. march — music
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — to rob
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. mug — a cup
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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