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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bound — obliged
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bound — certain
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. sharp — clever
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mine — for digging
  19. capital — a city
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bound — tied together
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. branch — of a tree

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