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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. key — in music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. drill — army training
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. key — for a lock
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rash — a series
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rash — hasty
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wind — moving air
  24. key — the most important part

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