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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. firm — a company
  3. staff — a stick
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bark — to shout
  16. capital — money
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. firm — steady
  23. capital — a city
  24. firm — decided

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