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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bank — for money
  10. swing — to play on
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bank — for money
  15. squash — to crush
  16. swing — music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. last — to go on
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bank — of a river
  21. last — finally
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. last — final

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