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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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 city
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. prune — to trim
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mark — a grade
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. capital — money
  17. pit — in a race
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. prune — to trim
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bark — to shout
  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