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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 116 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. cap — a hat
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mark — a grade
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cap — of ice
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bark — to shout
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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