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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: pit · nail · capital · arm · date · bark · fall · track

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. track — a path
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. date — the fruit
  5. track — a song
  6. fall — to drop
  7. capital — money
  8. bark — to shout
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pit — in a race
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. fall — to drop
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. track — to keep track
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. capital — a city
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. fall — the season
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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