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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. capital — money
  3. key — in music
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mate — a friend
  6. date — the fruit
  7. key — for a lock
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bark — to shout
  10. key — the most important part
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. capital — a city
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mate — to breed
  24. nail — on a finger

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