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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. face — to point toward
  9. capital — money
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bat — the animal
  14. face — to confront
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. present — there
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. present — a gift
  22. mate — a partner
  23. fine — high quality
  24. present — the time now

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