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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. capital — money
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mate — to breed
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bark — to shout
  8. current — electric
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mate — a partner
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. current — of water
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. mate — a friend
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. capital — a city
  24. current — happening now

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