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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. capital — a city
  5. can — to be able to
  6. toast — bread
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. last — finally
  9. branch — a division
  10. can — a tin
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. capital — money
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. last — final
  17. bore — to drill
  18. pound — a weight
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pitch — completely
  22. last — to go on
  23. can — a tin
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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