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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. capital — a city
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. capital — money
  20. bark — to shout
  21. snap — to click
  22. lean — thin
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bark — of a tree

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