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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 116 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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. object — an aim
  6. face — to point toward
  7. capital — money
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pitch — completely
  10. object — to protest
  11. ground — crushed
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. ground — a position
  15. object — a thing
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. capital — a city

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