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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. capital — money
  8. rock — a stone
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pitch — completely
  13. capital — a city
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. scale — in music
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. branch — a division

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