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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bark — to shout
  3. suit — in cards
  4. plane — a tool
  5. capital — a city
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. capital — money
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. suit — clothes
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mark — a trace
  15. stock — shares
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. stock — goods
  23. mark — a grade
  24. capital — a big letter

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