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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. capital — a city
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rest — a break
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. scale — in music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. sharp — clever
  17. capital — money
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fork — in a road
  20. present — a gift
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. scale — size or range

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