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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. wound — an injury
  4. capital — a city
  5. bass — the fish
  6. toast — bread
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. tube — the underground
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. capital — money
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bass — low music
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wound — an injury
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bark — to shout
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. tube — a container

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