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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. pop — soda
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. toast — bread
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. capital — money
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. capital — a city
  10. pop — music
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pop — to visit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. season — in sport
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. season — of the year
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bound — certain
  24. capital — a big letter

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