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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. drill — the tool
  3. track — a song
  4. drill — army training
  5. saw — the tool
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. rule — a law
  10. dip — to sink
  11. branch — a division
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. scale — in music
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — government
  18. drill — a practice
  19. capital — a city
  20. saw — the tool
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. scale — size or range

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