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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bark — to shout
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pitch — completely
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. staff — employees
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cell — a phone
  9. staff — a stick
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. spell — a short time
  12. capital — money
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. capital — a city
  20. staff — employees
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. leaves — lets stay

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