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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. staff — employees
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. capital — a city
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. key — for a lock
  18. staff — a stick
  19. key — the most important part
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. key — in music
  22. capital — money
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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