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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — money
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fall — the season
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rule — government
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mark — a trace
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rule — a law
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. fall — to drop
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rule — to rule out

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