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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. capital — a city
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. object — a thing
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. band — a ring
  10. net — for catching
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. object — an aim
  13. capital — money
  14. band — a music group
  15. mark — a trace
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. net — after costs
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. net — in sport
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. object — to protest
  24. band — a rubber band

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