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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hand — help
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rest — what's left
  10. capital — a city
  11. hand — in cards
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rest — a break
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. board — a committee
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. capital — money
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. board — to get on

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