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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. branch — a division
  3. board — to get on
  4. capital — money
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bass — the fish
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. snap — to click
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. last — to go on
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. capital — a city
  22. board — a committee
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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