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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. capital — a city
  5. squash — the sport
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. band — a ring
  8. bark — to shout
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. band — a music group
  18. rock — music
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. squash — to crush
  24. jam — in traffic

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