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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. object — a thing
  3. capital — a city
  4. bark — to shout
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. current — happening now
  9. press — to push
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. object — to protest
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. press — a publisher
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. object — an aim
  17. current — electric
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. current — of water
  21. capital — money
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rest — a break

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