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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 116 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bear — the animal
  5. last — final
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bound — certain
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. last — to go on
  11. bound — obliged
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — finally
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bark — a dog's sound

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