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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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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: present · track · face · branch · sharp · mouse · last · capital

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. track — to keep track
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. track — a song
  6. face — to point toward
  7. sharp — clever
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. track — a path
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. present — a gift
  14. branch — a division
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. last — to go on
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. face — to confront
  24. last — final

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