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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. capital — a city
  6. bark — to shout
  7. capital — money
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cell — in biology
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. press — to push
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bark — of a tree

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