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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 124 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. fork — to eat with
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. last — to go on
  6. face — to point toward
  7. current — of water
  8. court — for sport
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. current — electric
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. current — happening now
  13. capital — a city
  14. court — of law
  15. capital — money
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. court — of a king
  18. last — finally
  19. fork — in a road
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. face — to confront
  23. last — final
  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