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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. ball — a dance
  5. capital — money
  6. branch — a division
  7. capital — a city
  8. bank — for money
  9. scale — in music
  10. chip — for betting
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bank — for money
  17. ball — a great time
  18. scale — size or range
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bank — of a river
  24. chip — to eat

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