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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. deal — to handle
  6. toast — bread
  7. march — music
  8. capital — money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. march — the month
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. branch — a division
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. march — the month
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pitch — completely

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