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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. tube — a container
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pass — a permit
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bark — to shout
  18. kid — child
  19. capital — a city
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. kid — to tease
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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