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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 116 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. craft — boats
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. branch — a division
  12. chair — a leader
  13. capital — a city
  14. cap — of ice
  15. squash — the sport
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cap — a hat
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cap — a lid
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. squash — to crush
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. squash — the vegetable

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