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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 116 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. tube — a container
  11. bark — to shout
  12. capital — a city
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bass — low music
  15. ground — a position
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bass — the fish
  19. kick — in football
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. rush — hurry
  24. capital — a big letter

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