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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. track — a song
  4. suit — to fit
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. field — farmland
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. press — newspapers
  12. field — for sport
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. press — a publisher
  15. suit — in cards
  16. press — to push
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. track — a path
  21. capital — money
  22. field — a subject
  23. rock — music
  24. suit — clothes

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