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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. track — a song
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rash — hasty
  9. branch — a division
  10. capital — a city
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rash — a series
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wound — an injury
  18. track — to keep track
  19. capital — money
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. track — a path
  22. sharp — clever
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. chip — for betting

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