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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pop — music
  4. stand — to bear
  5. present — a gift
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. present — the time now
  13. pass — a permit
  14. present — there
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wind — moving air
  20. capital — a city
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pop — soda
  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