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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. toast — bread
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bear — the animal
  10. scale — size or range
  11. branch — a division
  12. capital — a city
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. scale — in music
  22. rule — government
  23. capital — money
  24. drill — army training

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