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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. deal — to handle
  7. band — a ring
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. capital — a city
  10. row — to paddle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. band — a music group
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stand — to bear
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. capital — money
  24. band — a rubber band

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