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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: toast · game · capital · mine · net · track · branch · march

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — a division
  5. track — a song
  6. march — the month
  7. mine — for digging
  8. track — to keep track
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. net — for catching
  12. capital — a city
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. track — a path
  16. capital — money
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. net — in sport
  20. march — music
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. toast — bread
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. net — after costs

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