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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bank — for money
  5. capital — a city
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bank — of a river
  9. last — to go on
  10. bank — for money
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. last — finally
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — an aim
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. object — a thing
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. last — final

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