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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. capital — a city
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stock — shares
  5. net — in sport
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. sharp — clever
  11. branch — a division
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. stock — goods
  14. bound — obliged
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. net — for catching
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. lean — to bend
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. net — after costs
  24. lean — thin

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