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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. object — a thing
  3. mug — a cup
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. object — an aim
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mug — to rob
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. bark — to shout
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mug — a face
  21. object — to protest
  22. sharp — clever
  23. court — of a king
  24. dip — to sink

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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