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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. capital — a city
  5. bark — to shout
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. capital — money
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. key — in music
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. key — the most important part

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