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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. field — for sport
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pit — a hole
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pit — in a race
  14. field — a subject
  15. spell — a short time
  16. field — farmland
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bark — to shout

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