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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. tear — from crying
  4. can — to be able to
  5. charge — a price
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. tear — to rip
  14. can — a tin
  15. march — the month
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. game — wild animals
  19. charge — in control
  20. march — music
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. charge — electricity
  23. can — a tin
  24. capital — a city

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