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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mate — a partner
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. capital — a city
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. capital — money
  9. date — the fruit
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. fall — the season
  12. bark — to shout
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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