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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bark — to shout
  3. scale — size or range
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. can — to be able to
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. board — to get on
  10. sharp — clever
  11. capital — money
  12. board — a committee
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. capital — a city
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. rush — hurry
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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