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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. perch — the fish
  3. can — to be able to
  4. capital — a city
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. capital — money
  17. can — a tin
  18. chip — for betting
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. can — a tin
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. foot — the bottom

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