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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. capital — a city
  5. kid — to tease
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. suit — to fit
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wound — an injury
  11. perch — the fish
  12. scale — size or range
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. branch — a division
  15. kid — child
  16. wound — an injury
  17. scale — in music
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. suit — clothes
  24. scale — for weighing

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