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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cap — of ice
  5. object — to protest
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. file — a document
  11. capital — money
  12. saw — the tool
  13. file — a tool
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. object — a thing
  17. bark — to shout
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. object — an aim
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. saw — the tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. capital — a city

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