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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. track — a path
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. branch — a division
  5. season — of the year
  6. kick — in football
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. capital — a city
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. charge — a price
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. track — a song
  18. charge — in control
  19. mine — for digging
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. season — in sport
  24. kick — with a leg

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