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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. firm — decided
  6. key — for a lock
  7. clip — for paper
  8. squash — the sport
  9. key — in music
  10. firm — steady
  11. clip — a video
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. squash — to crush
  15. key — the most important part
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. firm — a company
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. branch — a division
  24. clip — to cut

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