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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. stand — to bear
  6. capital — a city
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fine — all right
  10. spring — of water
  11. bark — to shout
  12. deal — to handle
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mark — a grade
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. mark — a trace

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