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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. capital — money
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pop — music
  7. scale — in music
  8. capital — a city
  9. scale — size or range
  10. clip — to cut
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mark — a grade
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. press — to push
  17. bark — to shout
  18. clip — a video
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. press — a publisher

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