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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. tear — from crying
  3. march — music
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bark — to shout
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. capital — a city
  9. tear — to rip
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. foot — a measure
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. can — a tin
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. can — a tin
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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