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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. face — to point toward
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. capital — a city
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. charge — in control
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. mine — for digging
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — a price
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. drill — the tool

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