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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. club — a group
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. band — a music group
  5. bark — to shout
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. season — of the year
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. capital — money
  13. bear — the animal
  14. capital — a city
  15. band — a ring
  16. season — in sport
  17. club — for golf
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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