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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. toast — bread
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. squash — the sport
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. deal — to handle
  21. capital — a city
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. toast — the most admired

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