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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 120 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. firm — steady
  3. root — the cause
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. last — final
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bound — tied together
  8. firm — a company
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. last — to go on
  15. bear — the animal
  16. capital — money
  17. root — of a word
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. capital — a city
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. last — finally
  23. bound — certain
  24. firm — decided

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