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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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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: staff · mark · bark · deal · jam · capital · lie · snap

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. lie — to recline
  7. capital — a city
  8. mark — a trace
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bark — to shout
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. mark — a grade
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. staff — a stick
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. deal — to handle
  23. snap — to click
  24. capital — money

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