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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bore — to tire
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. foot — a measure
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. capital — money
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pitch — completely
  22. plane — a tool
  23. squash — to crush
  24. perch — the fish

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