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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. land — a country
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. present — there
  8. suit — to fit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. present — the time now
  11. land — to come down
  12. present — a gift
  13. capital — money
  14. suit — clothes
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. capital — a city
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cap — a lid
  22. land — ground
  23. cap — a hat
  24. squash — to crush

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