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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. capital — money
  3. staff — employees
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. snap — to click
  6. staff — employees
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fine — all right
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. firm — decided
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. firm — a company
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. firm — steady
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. capital — a city
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. fine — high quality
  24. staff — a stick

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