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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fine — all right
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. present — a gift
  5. row — to paddle
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. season — in sport
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. vault — a safe
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. branch — a division
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. fine — high quality
  23. present — the time now
  24. season — of the year

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