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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mug — a cup
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. dip — to sink
  6. capital — a city
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. mug — a face
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mug — to rob
  19. current — electric
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pitch — a sports field

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