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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. press — to push
  3. branch — a division
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. firm — a company
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — decided
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. drill — a practice
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. drill — the tool
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. drill — army training
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chip — to eat
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chip — for betting

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