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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. suit — to fit
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. field — farmland
  8. suit — clothes
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. field — a subject
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bark — to shout
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — a city
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. field — for sport
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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