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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pit — a hole
  4. march — the month
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. pound — a weight
  8. club — a group
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. march — the month
  12. toast — bread
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pit — in a race
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. capital — money
  23. bark — to shout
  24. march — music

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