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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. shower — rain
  3. present — the time now
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. present — a gift
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. capital — money
  8. dip — to sink
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. saw — the tool
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. present — there
  23. saw — the tool
  24. deal — to handle

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