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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. object — to protest
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. fine — all right
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cell — a phone
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. capital — money
  11. object — an aim
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. fine — high quality
  15. plane — a tool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cell — in biology
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. club — for dancing
  22. branch — a division
  23. object — a thing
  24. plane — in geometry

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