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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spell — magic
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. capital — a city
  8. squash — the sport
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. kick — in football
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. foot — a measure
  21. capital — money
  22. squash — to crush
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

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