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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. object — an aim
  3. march — the month
  4. capital — money
  5. last — to go on
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. object — to protest
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. rock — a stone
  11. march — music
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. last — finally
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rock — music
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. march — the month
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. capital — a city
  22. last — final
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. object — a thing

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