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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 120 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. capital — a city
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fine — all right
  14. rock — music
  15. mate — to breed
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bank — for money
  21. capital — money
  22. mark — a grade
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. fine — a penalty

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