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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. march — music
  3. branch — a division
  4. cue — a signal
  5. march — the month
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cue — for pool
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. capital — a city
  12. march — the month
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. capital — money
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cue — a hint
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. cold — an illness
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. tear — to rip
  24. capital — a big letter

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