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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mark — a trace
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cap — of ice
  6. field — for sport
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cap — a lid
  11. field — a subject
  12. mark — a grade
  13. capital — a city
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. field — farmland
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pop — music
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. rock — music
  24. bark — to shout

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