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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. track — to keep track
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lie — to recline
  9. saw — the tool
  10. track — a song
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pop — soda
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. dip — to sink
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. saw — the tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. track — a path
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. dip — a sauce

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