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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 124 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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. capital — money
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. roll — a cake
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. roll — a list
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. branch — a division
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. present — there
  17. wake — a trail
  18. toast — bread
  19. present — the time now
  20. capital — a city
  21. present — a gift
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. roll — on a roll

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