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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. capital — a city
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. branch — a division
  10. track — a path
  11. capital — money
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bark — to shout
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. sharp — clever
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. track — a song
  24. coach — a trainer

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