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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. row — to paddle
  2. capital — a city
  3. row — a line
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. capital — money
  9. mark — a grade
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. mark — a trace
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cap — a lid
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cap — of ice
  20. foot — a measure
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cap — a hat
  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