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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bark — to shout
  3. can — a tin
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitch — completely
  6. capital — a city
  7. can — a tin
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. capital — money
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. shower — rain
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. swing — in golf
  20. wind — moving air
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. can — to be able to

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