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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rule — a law
  4. row — to paddle
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rule — government
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. capital — money
  16. season — of the year
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. branch — a division
  20. stand — to bear
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. season — in sport
  24. row — a line

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