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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. track — a song
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. track — a path
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pop — to visit
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pop — music
  17. stem — to come from
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pop — soda
  23. track — to keep track
  24. stem — a stem cell

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