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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. capital — money
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rock — music
  8. chip — for betting
  9. land — ground
  10. rock — a stone
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. land — a country
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. capital — a city
  20. chip — to eat
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bark — to shout

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