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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pop — soda
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pop — music
  7. bark — to shout
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. charge — electricity
  11. rash — a series
  12. capital — money
  13. charge — a price
  14. capital — a city
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. key — for a lock
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. hand — in cards
  20. charge — in control
  21. rash — hasty
  22. key — in music
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pop — to visit

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