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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. branch — a division
  3. board — to get on
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. toast — bread
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. row — a line
  18. last — finally
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — a city
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. capital — money

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