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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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. capital — a city
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. track — a path
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bulb — for light
  11. drill — the tool
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. drill — a practice
  18. lean — thin
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bark — to shout
  21. capital — money
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bulb — for light
  24. drill — army training

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