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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · bark · dip · temple · coach · deal · file · ball

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. dip — to sink
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bark — to shout
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. ball — a great time
  10. deal — to handle
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. file — a line of people
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. file — a document
  19. capital — a city
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. capital — money
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. file — a tool

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