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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. branch — a division
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. capital — money
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. capital — a city
  11. can — a tin
  12. degree — an amount
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. can — a tin
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. can — to be able to
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — from a university

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