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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mark — a trace
  3. pop — to visit
  4. press — to push
  5. pop — soda
  6. swing — to play on
  7. press — a publisher
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. swing — in golf
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. capital — money
  14. bound — tied together
  15. capital — a city
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pop — music
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. swing — music

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