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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. capital — a city
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wake — a trail
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. branch — a division
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wake — before a funeral

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