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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. toast — bread
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. row — to paddle
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. row — a line
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. game — a match
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. capital — money
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. capital — a city
  21. rock — music
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. wax — to grow

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