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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wind — moving air
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. present — there
  8. capital — money
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spell — magic
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. spell — a short time
  13. present — the time now
  14. spell — letters
  15. wind — moving air
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bark — to shout
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. present — a gift
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. capital — a city

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