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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mark — a trace
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. firm — decided
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. chip — to eat
  11. branch — a division
  12. bass — the fish
  13. firm — steady
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mark — a grade
  18. capital — money
  19. firm — a company
  20. perch — the fish
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chip — for betting

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