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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. charge — electricity
  4. cue — a signal
  5. last — to go on
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. mate — a partner
  9. last — finally
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cue — a hint
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. capital — a city
  15. cue — for pool
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. mate — to breed
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. capital — money
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bark — to shout
  24. last — final

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