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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. capital — a city
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. firm — a company
  12. toast — bread
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bark — to shout
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. firm — decided
  21. capital — money
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. firm — steady
  24. pitch — completely

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