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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. last — final
  3. stand — to bear
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. deal — to handle
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. roll — a cake
  13. capital — a city
  14. tube — a container
  15. last — finally
  16. bank — for money
  17. roll — a list
  18. capital — money
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. last — to go on
  21. track — a path
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. deal — a big deal

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