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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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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: march · firm · rush · bear · suit · capital · bark · game

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. march — music
  3. suit — clothes
  4. march — the month
  5. rush — hurry
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — steady
  12. suit — in cards
  13. march — the month
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. game — a match
  16. suit — to fit
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. game — wild animals
  19. capital — a city
  20. bark — to shout
  21. firm — a company
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rush — a thrill

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