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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 120 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. capital — a city
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. capital — money
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fine — all right
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. rash — a series
  21. rest — a break
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. arm — part of the body

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