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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. capital — money
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. fall — to drop
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. key — the most important part
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. game — a match
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wake — a trail
  22. capital — a city
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fall — the season

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