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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 120 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. march — the month
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. drill — army training
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. march — the month
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. capital — a city
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bear — the animal
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. march — music
  22. drill — a practice
  23. capital — money
  24. cabinet — ministers

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