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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. content — the amount
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bark — to shout
  7. scale — size or range
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. scale — in music
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. capital — money
  20. content — happy
  21. capital — a city
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mouse — the animal

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