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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. capital — a city
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. spring — the season
  15. capital — money
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. sharp — clever
  22. spring — of water
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — a big letter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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