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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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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. capital — a city
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bark — to shout
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wind — moving air
  12. can — a tin
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. capital — money
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bear — the animal
  18. can — a tin

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