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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. present — a gift
  4. capital — money
  5. current — electric
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. present — the time now
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. current — happening now
  10. mark — a grade
  11. branch — a division
  12. mark — a trace
  13. race — humankind
  14. press — to push
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bound — certain
  17. race — a contest
  18. bound — tied together
  19. race — the arms race
  20. current — of water
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bound — obliged
  24. present — there

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