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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. suit — to fit
  3. present — a gift
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rash — hasty
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. capital — a city
  8. suit — in cards
  9. capital — money
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. present — there
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. present — the time now
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. suit — clothes
  17. saw — the tool
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bark — to shout
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. shower — rain

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