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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cue — a hint
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. branch — a division
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. capital — money
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. capital — a city
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cue — a signal
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. cue — for pool
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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