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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. capital — a city
  5. track — to keep track
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. capital — money
  8. stock — shares
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. track — a song
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. track — a path
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stock — goods
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. drill — army training
  24. toast — bread

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