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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bank — of a river
  4. capital — a city
  5. bark — to shout
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. last — finally
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pass — a permit
  11. last — to go on
  12. bank — for money
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. last — final
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bank — for money
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. deal — to handle
  22. snap — to click
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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