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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. branch — a division
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. march — music
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bat — the animal
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. capital — a city
  24. march — the month

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