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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. capital — money
  3. bark — to shout
  4. capital — a city
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. season — of the year
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. can — a tin
  11. rest — a break
  12. season — in sport
  13. rest — what's left
  14. can — a tin
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. rest — what's left
  17. drill — the tool
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. squash — the sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. can — to be able to
  24. drill — a practice

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