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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. capital — a city
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. last — final
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fall — the season
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bark — to shout
  13. capital — money
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. last — finally
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bound — certain
  20. last — to go on
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. fall — to drop
  24. racket — for tennis

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