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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. rash — a series
  3. kick — in football
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. band — a music group
  12. bound — certain
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. band — a ring
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stand — to bear
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. stand — on your feet

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