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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 120 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bound — certain
  3. branch — a division
  4. track — to keep track
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pitch — completely
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bound — tied together
  9. degree — from a university
  10. capital — money
  11. degree — an amount
  12. track — a path
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. firm — steady
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. capital — a city
  20. firm — decided
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bound — obliged
  23. track — a song
  24. firm — a company

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