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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mug — to rob
  4. ground — a position
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mug — a face
  9. capital — money
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mug — a cup
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rest — a break
  17. spring — of water
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spring — the season
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ruler — for measuring

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