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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rule — a law
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. track — a path
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. track — a song
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — government
  18. capital — a city
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. pitcher — a jug

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