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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. capital — money
  5. firm — a company
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. chip — to eat
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. branch — a division
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. firm — steady
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. race — the arms race
  19. chip — for betting
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. firm — decided
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. kid — child
  24. chip — in a computer

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