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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. scale — size or range
  4. season — in sport
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. scale — in music
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. season — of the year
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. hide — to keep secret

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