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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 120 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. game — wild animals
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. game — a match
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. dip — to sink
  18. branch — a division
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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