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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. net — for catching
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. board — a committee
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. capital — money
  10. board — to get on
  11. rock — music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. capital — a city
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. clip — for paper
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. net — after costs
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. clip — a video
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rock — a stone
  24. branch — of a bank

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