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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cap — of ice
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. capital — money
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. hand — help
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fork — in a road
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cap — a hat
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bark — to shout
  18. squash — to crush
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cap — a lid
  22. capital — a city
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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