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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stand — to bear
  4. present — the time now
  5. foot — a measure
  6. last — finally
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. last — final
  12. capital — a city
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. capital — money
  16. present — there
  17. bark — to shout
  18. present — a gift
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. season — of the year
  22. last — to go on
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. season — in sport

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