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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. branch — a division
  3. cap — a lid
  4. track — a song
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wind — moving air
  9. content — the amount
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. capital — money
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. content — happy
  15. wind — moving air
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cap — of ice
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. track — a path
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cap — a hat
  24. capital — a city

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