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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bound — obliged
  4. branch — a division
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. craft — boats
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. craft — a skill
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bound — tied together
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. bound — certain

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