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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 120 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. capital — a city
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. craft — boats
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. march — music
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. swing — in golf
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. capital — money
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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