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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pound — a weight
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pop — music
  5. branch — a division
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pop — soda
  11. scale — in music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. capital — a city
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. scale — size or range
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bore — to drill

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