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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. press — to push
  3. cue — a signal
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ball — a dance
  6. last — finally
  7. craft — boats
  8. cue — for pool
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. ball — a great time
  12. craft — a skill
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cue — a hint
  15. capital — a city
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. press — a publisher
  19. last — final
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. branch — a division
  22. last — to go on
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. press — newspapers

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