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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. row — to paddle
  7. ball — a dance
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. row — a line
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mate — a friend
  14. capital — a city
  15. ball — a great time
  16. kid — child
  17. mate — a partner
  18. branch — a division
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mate — to breed
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. capital — money

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