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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rock — music
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. capital — money
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rock — a stone
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mate — to breed
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mug — a face
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bark — to shout
  20. mug — a cup
  21. deal — to handle
  22. capital — a city
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. capital — a big letter

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