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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. branch — a division
  5. capital — money
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. capital — a city
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. spring — of water
  12. mark — a grade
  13. charge — electricity
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. sharp — clever
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mark — a trace
  24. spring — the season

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