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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. land — ground
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rush — hurry
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. spring — of water
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pass — a permit
  16. land — a country
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. land — to come down
  20. branch — a division
  21. spring — the season
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. spring — a coil

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