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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. dip — to sink
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. field — a subject
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. face — part of the head
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bark — to shout
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. face — to confront
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — the time now
  18. tube — a container
  19. field — for sport
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. capital — money
  22. field — farmland
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. present — there

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