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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rash — a series
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rash — hasty
  9. net — in sport
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. capital — money
  15. net — for catching
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. key — in music
  21. net — after costs
  22. key — for a lock
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. key — the most important part

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