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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 120 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. ball — a great time
  6. capital — money
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rest — what's left
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rest — a break
  12. ball — a dance
  13. net — for catching
  14. rest — what's left
  15. drill — army training
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. net — after costs
  18. capital — a city
  19. drill — a practice
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. drill — the tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. branch — a division
  24. net — in sport

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