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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: branch · sharp · rule · ground · capital · game · mug · straw

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. game — a match
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mug — to rob
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ground — a position
  9. rule — government
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mug — a face
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. game — wild animals
  16. ground — the earth
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rule — a law
  21. capital — a city
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. sharp — clever

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