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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bark — to shout
  5. net — for catching
  6. capital — money
  7. net — in sport
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fine — all right
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. mark — a trace
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. prune — to trim
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. net — after costs
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mark — a grade
  20. lie — to recline
  21. capital — a city
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. prune — the fruit

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