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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. branch — a division
  5. bank — of a river
  6. season — of the year
  7. fall — to drop
  8. capital — money
  9. chair — a leader
  10. march — the month
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. march — the month
  15. pit — a hole
  16. fall — the season
  17. season — in sport
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. pit — in a race
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. march — music

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