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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. field — for sport
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. hand — help
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. capital — a city
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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