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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. suit — to fit
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. branch — a division
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. root — of a word
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. suit — in cards
  16. root — of a plant
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. suit — clothes
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. root — the cause
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rush — hurry

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