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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. club — a group
  3. toast — bread
  4. capital — a city
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. current — of water
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. club — for golf
  9. capital — money
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bark — to shout
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. current — electric
  18. season — of the year
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. current — happening now
  21. season — in sport
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. club — for dancing
  24. tube — in a tire

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