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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stand — to bear
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. sharp — clever
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. ground — a position
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. suit — to fit
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bound — certain
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bark — to shout
  21. suit — clothes
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. stand — for spectators

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