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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bear — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — a company
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. field — a subject
  12. capital — money
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. field — for sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. field — farmland
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. firm — steady
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. branch — of a bank

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