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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · branch · season · race · scale · chest · capital · court

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. capital — a city
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pit — in a race
  6. race — the arms race
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pit — a hole
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. race — humankind
  14. court — of law
  15. race — a contest
  16. court — of a king
  17. capital — money
  18. season — in sport
  19. scale — in music
  20. season — of the year
  21. court — for sport
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. branch — a division
  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