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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ball — a dance
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. net — in sport
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. capital — money
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a committee
  15. chest — of your body
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ball — a great time
  21. track — a song
  22. chest — a box
  23. capital — a city
  24. board — a flat piece

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