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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 124 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. file — a document
  9. track — a path
  10. capital — money
  11. can — a tin
  12. scale — size or range
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bark — to shout
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. scale — in music
  17. can — to be able to
  18. track — to keep track
  19. can — a tin
  20. track — a song
  21. toast — bread
  22. file — a tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. file — a line of people

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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