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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 116 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. key — in music
  5. capital — a city
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bark — to shout
  8. game — a match
  9. ball — a dance
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. ball — a great time
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. key — the most important part
  18. game — wild animals
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. key — for a lock
  23. capital — money
  24. shower — rain

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