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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pit — a hole
  24. capital — a big letter

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