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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. capital — a city
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. spring — of water
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bark — to shout
  8. capital — money
  9. net — in sport
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. fine — high quality
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. spring — the season
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stand — to bear
  21. net — for catching
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. net — after costs
  24. ruler — for measuring

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