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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. pass — a permit
  5. game — a match
  6. rule — government
  7. pit — in a race
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wound — an injury
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. game — wild animals
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. rule — a law
  20. wound — an injury
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. branch — a division

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