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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. capital — money
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. saw — the tool
  10. clip — a video
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. capital — a city
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rash — a series
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. racket — a loud noise

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