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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. march — music
  6. net — in sport
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. cap — a lid
  9. capital — a city
  10. net — after costs
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. branch — a division
  15. band — a ring
  16. net — for catching
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. band — a music group
  19. capital — money
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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