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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. club — for dancing
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. squash — to crush
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. capital — a city
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. foot — a measure
  15. date — the fruit
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. squash — the sport
  19. club — for golf
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. charge — in control
  23. club — a group
  24. degree — from a university

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