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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. last — final
  3. rest — what's left
  4. last — to go on
  5. capital — a city
  6. rest — a break
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fall — the season
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mate — a partner
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mate — to breed
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. last — finally
  17. capital — money
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mate — a friend
  20. branch — a division
  21. rest — what's left
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. fall — to drop
  24. branch — of a bank

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