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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. capital — money
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cue — a hint
  7. capital — a city
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rule — government
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cue — for pool
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. rule — a law
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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