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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. charge — a price
  4. capital — a city
  5. file — a tool
  6. bark — to shout
  7. file — a line of people
  8. degree — an amount
  9. present — a gift
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. capital — money
  12. present — the time now
  13. file — a document
  14. present — there
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. degree — from a university
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. degree — temperature
  19. can — a tin
  20. charge — in control
  21. can — a tin
  22. charge — electricity
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. can — to be able to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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