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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. kid — to tease
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. capital — a city
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bark — to shout
  11. root — of a word
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. root — the cause
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mark — a grade
  17. toast — bread
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. board — to get on
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. capital — money
  23. board — a committee
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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